


Romances of Love

by universepunk



Series: Romances of Love [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-14
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-12-25 06:52:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 85,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universepunk/pseuds/universepunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo meets Grimmjow, a transfer student from Hueco Mundo High, who works for the ruthless druglord Sosuke Aizen. He falls for him fast, and wants to save him from the career path he's on to ensure his safety. Aizen isn't willing to let him leave the business in one piece though. It'll take much more than feelings to keep them together. Warning! Contains Yaoi!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ties to Bonds

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Friday night had Ichigo Kurosaki lying patiently in his bed. Earlier that week, he had promised to throw a movie party at his house since his sisters, Yuzu and Karin, would be spending the weekend at their friend Ururu's place. His father, Ishiin, would be out of town until Tuesday on a meet and greet with some old clients of his. Ichigo had been to school the entire week and had come home like normal, but the news of new transfer students had him a little anxious. They were transferring from the school across town from their own. Apparently, their school was being closed down due to failing conditions to meet standard criteria for modern teaching. The school was most often referred to as "Hueco Mundo High" through rumor, though Ichigo had never been there himself. Inoue had visited, but didn't give a response about it when asked. After hearing about the new students, he decided that the  _old_  students would party the night away with movies in his room, video games in the living room, and pool/hot tub fun out back. He had invited over his friends who he had known for quite some time. Chad, the biggest and quietest of the group, had received his invitation earlier in the week. He promised to bring a Mexican dish he had seen prepared on t.v. last week. Ichigo did enjoy Mexican food, as well as the company of the overgrown, muscle-bound teddy bear. Ishida, the stubborn genius, had promised that he would bring a new video game prototype he and his father had designed in their spare time, along with his XBOX 360 and numerous games and controllers. Inoue, the busty and lovely, yet slightly ditzy red-head, promised she'd bring new dishes she had concocted, and everyone was invited to try them. Ichigo always had a soft spot for Inoue, and it always seemed like she had serious feelings for him. He knew, however, that he couldn't be with her for certain reasons. Renji, the fiery knucklehead, was invited as well. He and Ichigo were friends through Rukia, and also through their commonalities. Rukia, Ichigo's demanding and stubborn, yet loyal friend had been the first to know about the party. It was more her idea to throw one, but her older brother Byakuya would never allow a high-school party to be thrown at their mansion. When Ichigo got wind of the idea, he volunteered to throw it since he would have the house to himself for the weekend. His guests were invited to stay over if necessary.

After hearing a knock at his front door, Ichigo sped downstairs. Reaching the front door, he grabbed the knob and turned it to reveal none other than Inoue holding a large pink pot with multiple smaller pots stacked on top of it.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun!" she exclaimed.

"H-hi Inoue. Do you need a hand?"

"If you wouldn't mind… These are kinda heavy though."

"Then I can't let you stand there holding them. Here, let me take them to the table—OOH!"

Almost dropping the larger pot after claiming it from Inoue's grasp, Ichigo trotted over to the kitchen and placed it on the table.

"Kurosaki-kun, did you clean up for the party?" Inoue inquired. She noticed the place was spotless.

"No. Yuzu cleaned before she left."

"Oh. That makes sense. Well then, let's get busy setting up!"

While preparing her dish to its final stages, Inoue suddenly became ecstatic about something.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Huh?"

"Have you heard any news about the new transfer students?"

"Um, all I know is there are supposed to be quite a few of them…I think…"

"Oh…"

"Hey, Inoue."

"Yes?"

"Did you invite anyone else? I was hoping word would spread to most of the class…"

"I sure did. I told Tatsuki, Chizuru, and Michiru. I think Chad invited Keigo and Mizuiro. And I think Renji invited Rangiku, Toshiro, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Shuhei, Momo, and Kira."

"Wow. That's a lot of people. Well, the more the merrier."

"Mmhmm!"

*Knock knock*

"I'm comimg!" Ichigo shouted as he walked to the door.

Once it was opened, he was faced with Chad and Ishida. Chad was holding a large paper bag in his left hand while Ishida's hands were full. He was holding a bag with controllers in one hand, games in the other, and a book-bag containing the console.

"How rude Kurosaki! We didn't come here for you to stare at us. Are you going to let us in?"

"Would you just—fine. Come on in. Inoue's in the kitchen."

"Ishida-kun! Chad! Hi!"

"Good evening Inoue-san."

"Hi Inoue"

"Hope you guys are ready to party! I'm almost done with my dishes!"

"…"

"…"

"Gah. Oh Inoue."

Walking over to the television, Ishida began unloading his baggage onto the floor.

"Kurosaki. Are you sure you want this here on the floor. It's sort of in the way."

"Put it beside the t.v. then."

A little while later, more of the party guests had arrived. Rukia was seated on the couch flipping through the channels aimlessly. Beside her sat Kira, Shuhei, and Momo, reading a few game manuals. In the kitchen, Inoue noticed Chad's dish and began making excited remarks.

"More food! Yes! I'm going to stuff myself until I can't breathe! Hahaha!"

Glancing over to the kitchen and then looking at Inoue closely, Renji couldn't help but nudge Ichigo and laugh.

"Guess we know where all that food she eats goes. Her tits are practically planets on her body hahaha!"

"Oh shut up Renji." Ichigo said, noting that Renji may have had a point.

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Rangiku yelled as she opened the door.

"Loud-ass" Ikkaku muttered as he and Yumichika began walking ahead of her.

"AHEM! Ladies first!" she exclaimed as she brushed by them hurriedly.

"Sorry, I didn't see a lady near the door." Ikkaku mumbled.

"Ahahahaha!" Yumichika bellowed behind him.

"What was that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you clearly!"

"Uh—Nothing. Nothing"

"That's what I thought! Grow a pair! Hmph!" Rangiku spoke as she hurried in Inoue's direction.

"We'll see how she gets home tonight."

"You're all fools." Toshiro said as he walked in and took a seat beside Rukia.

"Oh Orihime! Your food looks wonderful!"

"Really! Thank you Rangiku! I worked really hard last night to prepare it just right!"

By the time six o'clock had arrived, so had the remaining party guests. Michiru, Tatsuki, and Rangiku had filled the hot tub. Rangiku convinced Inoue to join with instigations from Chizuru. Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, Ishida, Ichigo, Ikkaku, Renji, and Rukia were huddled around as Renji destroyed Chad and Ichigo's Halo characters while fending Keigo off. Ishida was convinced that none of them were any real competition and remained seated on the couch. Upstairs, Toshiro, Kira, Shuhei, Momo, and Yumichika were stationed in Ichigo's room watching the movie Zombieland.

The night had gone by smoothly, without any fights or even arguments between Rangiku and Ikkaku. However, A few party guests had decided to call it a night and, after thanking Ichigo and saying their goodbyes, went home.

"Time for some fun." Rangiku stated as she held a plastic bottle in her hand.

"Oh no! No no no! This isn't turning into some sex party Rangiku." Ichigo stated as he walked over to her and crossed his arms.

"What! It's just 7 Minutes in Heaven. If you wanted a kiddy party, then maybe you should have specified that we'd be playing Tag instead."

" _What have I done?"_  Ichigo thought.

"Okay! Who's playing!"

"Me!" Renji shouted across the room.

"I wouldn't mind." Yumichika stated.

"Count me in!" Ikkaku said as he walked over to the now forming circle.

"I guess I will." Rukia said as she stood.

"…" Chad headed over as well.

"What about you Orihime? Won't you join us?" Rangiku asked.

"M-me! Uh. Okay sure."

"Alright! Let's get started!" Rangiku said as she forced Ichigo to take part.

"Here are the rules!" Rangiku exclaimed as she stood. "One: Gender cards don't count. You've gotta take 7 Minutes in Heaven with whoever the bottle lands on. Two: You HAVE to make out. No exceptions! Three: No complaints. If you complain, I will make you pay personally. And four: It has to be 7 minutes. Otherwise, you get locked in together even longer. That's about it. Got it!"

After mumbles and a series of okays, Rangiku clapped her hands happily and sat down.

"Let's hope I get a looker!" she stated as she spun the bottle.

As it stopped, Rangiku inwardly pouted.

"Ha! Wanna make out with me Rangiku?" Ikkaku said as he led her to the closet.

" _Me and my big mouth!"_ Rangiku face-palmed as she stepped into the closet all but too femininely.

"Serves her right." Yumichika said as he looked over to Renji. He hoped he would get seven minutes with that red-headed Adonis.

"Seven minutes are up!" she exclaimed as she swung the door open hurriedly.

"Rangiku, your face is so flustered." Yumichika noted as he saw her take her seat and adjust her hair.

"Put a sock in it! Or rather a—OOH! You grate on my nerves!" she retorted.

"Ichigo, it's your turn." Rukia said.

"Right…" he said as he spun the bottle.

Everyone became quite ecstatic as the bottle landed on Renji.

"What! No way!" Renji said as he looked away.

"AHEM!" Rangiku cleared her throat violently as she looked at him.

"U—I…Fine. Let's get this over with." He stated dejectedly.

After the door was closed and locked, Ichigo spoke.

"Renji, we can lie if you want. Nobody will ever know." He stated simply.

"Oh. Rangiku will know. Trust me. Just-"

Ichigo silenced his lips with his own. There was just enough room for him to position himself onto Renji's larger form as he became more heated. Renji decided if he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. He stuck his tongue out awkwardly as he silently asked Ichigo for entrance. Willingly, Ichigo opened his mouth and allowed Renji to explore his mouth to his heart's desire. In that moment, he couldn't help but remember all of his inner desires for Renji. He always liked Renji. But somewhere deep inside his heart, Ichigo knew he was not meant to be with him. It was mainly because Renji was straight, and had a thing for Rukia. However, Ichigo had been attracted to the man since their first fight at school. An attraction that he had grown miserable from had come back tenfold to smack him in the face in this intimate moment in the closet with Renji. Ichigo would have to thank Rangiku later.

*Knock knock*

"Hey! Your seven minutes are up!" Rangiku yelled from the other side of the door.

"…"

"Renji. I-"

"Hurry Up! Others are playing too! If you want a make-out session, you should go up to your room!"

"Shut your trap Rangiku!" Renji said as he detached himself from Ichigo and opened the door.

"Took you long enough!" She said as she looked from Renji standing in front of her, to Ichigo blushing madly on the floor.

"Woo! Gay pride!" Ikkaku joked as he saw Ichigo's face.

"Just shut up." Ichigo stated simply.

Everyone had known about Ichigo's preferences. He had come clean to his closest friends earlier in the year, and had a particularly awkward conversation with Inoue about it. After she found out, she said she accepted him no matter what. He knew she would always have feelings for him though. He just couldn't lead her on, it was wrong. Ichigo loved Inoue too much to give her false hopes like that.

"Take your seat!" Rangiku said to them as she handed Yumichika the bottle.

"I hope you get a girl!" She whispered as she giggled, knowingly, at his angered and nervous expression.

" _This is gonna be a long night."_  Ichigo thought as he looked around his house.

* * *

Renji sat in the hot tub as he looked up at the moon. He and Ichigo had kissed. It was nothing to him, but he was sure it meant a lot to Ichigo.

" _Things are gonna be awkward…"_

"Hey."

Renji whipped his head around to see Rukia.

"H-hey Rukia. Did you come to join me?"

"Yeah. I want to talk to you."

Rukia unwrapped her towel revealing her two-piece swim suit. As she stepped into the bubbling water, she noticed Renji watching her closely.

"I'm not Ichigo. You can't have me." She giggled.

"That's not even funny!" he retorted.

"I know. But still, don't let a kissing game come between-"

"Haha! "Come between." Sorry. You were saying?"

"Grow up Renji. As I was saying, don't let that silly kissing game make things awkward between you two. You've been friends since the tenth grade, and you know he's never been all over you before."

"Yeah…I guess. It  _was_  just a game."

"Besides, at least you didn't have to make out with Yumichika." She laughed as she sunk under the heated water.

"That would've been disgusting." He admitted.

* * *

"Good night." Ichigo said as the last of his party guests left. Inoue was given a ride by Byakuya and Rukia since it was close to midnight. Ichigo was surprised. Nobody was staying over, but somehow, he was relieved too. He wasn't in the mood for overnight house guests. Besides, he still had to do some homework so he could enjoy his weekend.

"Guess I'd better shower." He said as he headed upstairs.

Entering the bathroom, Ichigo flipped the light switch and headed over to the shower. Turning on the water and making sure it was at a comfortable temperature, he removed his clothes and stepped in. Washing away all the stresses of his week was more than welcome to him right now. He had failed a test, lost his wallet, and still needed to turn in a load of make-up work from the two weeks he took off last month. This was a miniature paradise. He couldn't think of anything he needed more than this shower.

Stepping out from under the water, and into a cloud of steam, he dried himself. Laughing as he remembered that Family Guy cut scene where Stewie walked in on Meg in her unusual process of drying off, ended by throwing her towel on his head. Laughing, Ichigo finished by drying his hair. Man, that show was too funny for its own good.

Walking into his room, Ichigo noticed that his phone had vibrated to the edge of his bed. Picking it up, he flipped through all the messages about how awesome his party was, until he reached the final message. It was from Renji.

" _Hey Ichigo. I just wanna let u know that I ain't mad at you for the kiss thing. Hope were still cool :P"_

Ichigo snickered as he sent the cheesiest reply in the world.

" _Like the other side of the pillow"_

Sitting down at his desk, he opened his Trigonometry textbook, and began reading.


	2. New Students and New Problems

The weekend had gone by and Ichigo was happy about it. He was bored at home, and honestly, he was anxious to get to school to see the new transfer students. As soon as Ichigo arrived at school, he was met with an unwelcome surprise.

"I-CHI-GOOOOO!" Keigo yelled as he bolted towards Ichigo.

Stepping out of the way, Ichigo looked around the schoolyard and noticed a few new faces.

"Where is everyone?" Ichigo said as he looked around, making small talk.

"Classroom I guess." Keigo replied.

"Oh."

"Your party was pretty sweet by the way."

"Thanks. I got your text."

"Right. So... You having another one anytime soo-"

*Bump*

"Hey! Watch where the fuck you're going you little-"

"Watch your language Nnoitora. We are on a school campus you idiot."

"You worms aren't worth it"  _Nnoitora_  said as he walked off with the pale, green-eyed guy.

"Ulquiorra, you're too soft!" the taller one, Nnoitora, exclaimed.

"Nnoitora and Ulquiorra…?" Keigo stated inquisitively.

Ichigo remained quiet as he watched them disappear around the corner.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a blue-eyed, bluenette male had witnessed their exchange with the two.

Walking by the science lab, Ichigo noticed a blonde and a pinkette walking in towards the teacher.

"Pink. What a strange hair color for a guy." Keigo noted as he followed.

"Hm…" Ichigo muttered.

"You ass wipes got something to say then say it." Spoke an unidentified voice.

Turning, Ichigo and Keigo faced a very handsome, very aggressive looking male. His hair was blue and his eyes glowed bluer. His uniform shirt was unbuttoned at the top, showing off his notably built frame.

"Who are you?" Keigo asked from slightly behind Ichigo.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. And if you fucktards got anything to say, then say it."

Ichigo stood quiet. Unsure of whether or not to be mesmerized or outraged by this rude but very handsome,  _very_  built male, all he could do was watch him speak.

"Well? Spit it fucking out."

"Look, we don't even know you. I think it'd be best of you back off  _Grimmjow_ " That name had a nice ring to it. Ichigo could imagine himself saying it all day.

"What'd you say? I smell a couple of pussies." Grimmjow stated.

"You shouldn't be able to smell that from that far away." Keigo interrupted, making Ichigo snicker.

"You fucking with me!" Grimmjow responded.

Just then, Chad and Inoue rounded the corner.

"Kurosaki-kun! Good morning!" Inoue chirped.

"…" Chad didn't speak. He was curious about the person standing feet in front of Ichigo.

"Who is that?" Inoue asked.

"He's trouble!" Keigo responded.

"Trouble? Hmmm." Walking to Grimmjow, Inoue smiled and spoke. "Hi. I'm Inoue, Orihime. It's nice to meet you."

"Outta the way woman. I got business to settle with those-"

"Business?" Chad asked, intimidating Grimmjow to the slightest degree.

"Tch. This ain't over!" Grimmjow stated as he turned to walk away.

"What's going on?" Inoue asked.

"Don't worry about it Inoue. Good morning." Ichigo said.

"Hm." She stated simply, looking in the direction that Grimmjow had disappeared in.

"Who could be so mean to Orihime! You have to have no heart at all!" Keigo yelled.

"Let's get to class." Ichigo said.

* * *

Opening the door to the classroom, Inoue was immediately dragged by Chizuru over to Tatsuki and Michiru.

"Ichigo." Chad stated.

"Huh?"

"That blue-haired guy is sitting in the back of the classroom."

"What...? That jerk. I can't believe he's in our class."

Walking by Ishida's desk, Ichigo glanced at down to him.

"Kurosaki." Ishida said, nodding his head in greeting.

"Hey Ishida."

"I was cut off this morning in the lab by this rude pink-haired student named Szayel-Apporro Grantz. I can't believe some people can be so ru-"

"What? Man. These new students have some people skills huh?" Ichigo said, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Shifting his glasses, Ishida looked back to the board and began the classwork for the day.

Walking further back and taking his seat beside Grimmjow, Ichigo took out his notebook and pen.

"Well well. If it isn't the pussy."

"Look. Stop calling me that. You really don't know how to make yourself seem decent do you?"

"I don't need anybody's approval about anything I do. If your name's pussy, then it's pussy."

"That  _isn't_  my name."

"Then what is it?" Grimmjow asked.

"I don't need to tell you anything." Ichigo replied flatly.

"THEN IT'S  _FUCKING_  PUSSY!"

"MR. JAEGERJAQUES!" the teacher yelled as she stood abruptly.

"Haha." Ichigo snickered at Grimmjow.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Get to work! And if I hear another outburst like that, you're going straight to the principal's office!"

"Whatever."

"First impressions are  _lasting_  impressions." Ichigo stated smugly, looking down at his class work.

"I fucking hate you."

* * *

During lunch, Ichigo took his usual seat in his group's usual spot under the large oak tree by the tennis courts. Nobody usually came in that area, so they were all free to do whatever they wanted to.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yea Inoue?"

"Are you all right?" she asked innocently "That guy from this morning was pretty mean…"

"I'm cool." he replied "And don't you worry about him. He's brainless."

At that, they laughed. That was what Ichigo loved about his friends. They all just genuinely enjoyed each other's company, and even laughed at each other's stupid jokes. Today, and every other day, they joked and laughed and had fun together. But Ichigo always felt that no matter how much he loved their company, he was still missing something. He looked around and noted their unusual seating arrangement. Renji was seated by Rukia, Ishida and Chad were seated next to them and Inoue sat between himself and the girls on the other side of them. Michiru, Chizuru, and Tatsuki were all chatting animatedly about something Ichigo was glad he was out of the loop of because Tatsuki was about to punch Chizuru in the stomach. Looking back to Inoue, Ichigo realized she was really something. To balance herself perfectly between the two groups, even though they were all friends, was a nice feat. She truly fit in anywhere she went. Ichigo realized that his life would be quieter and probably more depressing if she wasn't part of it. He smiled as he realized that. Then he remembered Grimmjow's rudeness to her.

"Jerk." Ichigo spoke quietly.

"Kurosaki-kun, you're blushing." Inoue commented quietly. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah! I'm fine."

"LOOK OUT!"

*BAM*

"What the fuck!" Renji yelled as the soccer ball that connected with his head hit the ground, causing Rukia to laugh.

"Sorry Red. Guess my ball just doesn't like you." Grimmjow stated after he had run over to reclaim his ball.

"Not!" Ichigo yelled as he swiped it and stood.

"Hand it over pussy."

"Make me,  _dick_." Ichigo retorted.

"WHAT!" Grimmjow roared as he ran at Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Orihime!" Chizuru shouted, stopping her from interfering with the two.

"Come and get it!" Ichigo laughed as he bolted in the opposite direction with the ball.

"Get your ass back here!" Grimmjow yelled as he gave chase to his prey.

Ichigo ran across the school with the soccer ball. After running out of breath, he found himself on the other side of the school, in the garden space. Realizing he was trapped, he put the ball under his foot and prepared himself for his predator.

"There you are!" Grimmjow said as he walked into the floral room. "Hand over the ball and you won't lose as much of your face as I originally intended you to."

"Maybe you ought to watch where you're kicking it then."

"You little shit."

Grabbing Ichigo's arm, Grimmjow shoved him to the wall and put both of his own hands on either side of his head.

"Listen here. I ain't up for your little games, got it? Your idiot friend's head was in the fucking way. Get over it!"

Blushing at the closeness and the pleasant smell of Grimmjow's breath, he turned and looked at his muscular arm, successfully avoiding his eyes.

"Grimmjow." Ichigo spoke softly.

"What the hell is it!" he asked, too close for his own good.

"M-my name is Kurosaki, Ichigo, not  _pussy_."

Looking him up and down, Grimmjow grunted, and then spoke.

"Kurosaki. If you get in my way again, I'm gonna-"

"ICHIGO!"

Whipping around, Grimmjow stared, and then turned his attention back to his prey.

"You got lucky this time. This ain't over."

"You said that last time. Why not end it now?"

"Tch"

Grabbing his ball, Grimmjow went to walk away.

*Grab*

"Wha-"

"Um. Don't go out there. If Chad or Renji sees you, there's gonna be trouble. You know quite well three on one isn't fair..."

"I ain't sca-"

"Do it!" Ichigo said as he pulled him behind himself and walked out of the garden.

"Ichigo! Where is that bastard? And where's his ball? I was gonna pop it right on his face!"

"He took it and got away."

"…" Chad stayed silent.

"Damn! We'll get him back." Renji said, irritated.

"Sure" Ichigo said, blushing slightly.

"Let's get back to the others" Chad stated.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Ichigo!"

"Are you okay?" Inoue and Rukia asked.

"I'm fine." Ichigo assured.

"The bastard got away." Renji said.

"Well, if you have a problem, his friends are over there." Ishida stated mockingly, motioning to the group across the tennis courts and in the opposite fields.

"Nah. I don't want them, just him." Renji said.

"Sure." Rukia snickered.

"Lunch is almost over." Michiru pointed out.

"Let's get back to class" Tatsuki said, leading them back to the building.

"Ichigo." Chad called as he pulled him off to the side.

"Hm?"

"That Grimmjow fellow, is he a problem?"

"Him? No. Actually, I think he's pretty cool. Maybe a little jerkish, but still, he isn't so bad."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I am."

Just as Chad walked into the building, Ichigo noticed Grimmjow by the cafeteria doors.

"I'm sorry, but lunch is over. Come earlier tomorrow and you can eat all you can pay for." the cafeteria said as she closed the doors to the lunch room.

"Fuck this school!" Grimmjow stated angrily.

"Grimmjow."

"Huh—You!"

"Just me." Ichigo said defensively.

"What do you want?"

"If you're hungry, I have lunch. Inoue made me eat hers with her, so I didn't eat mine."

"I ain't a fucking charity case kid."

"I know. I know. But you were chasing me around so you didn't get to eat. Just take it."

"Whatever."

"Here. Let's go up to the roof. I can skip next period."

"…"

"Let's go." Ichigo said, leading him up to the roof.

* * *

When the bell rang signaling the beginning of sixth period, it became obvious that Ichigo had not made it to class.

"Where's Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Probably skipped. I would too. I hate this class." Renji answered.

"Kurosaki-kun…"

"Don't worry Inoue. I'm sure he's fine." Rukia assured her.

"Yea"

Ishida merely adjusted his glasses. Chad looked out the window at the clouds surrounding the sun.

* * *

"What's your deal Grimmjow? Why are you such a pain all the time? Since the first second I met you, you've been kinda jerkish." Ichigo said.

Munching the sandwich he had been given, Grimmjow looked over the roof to the ground below.

Ichigo sighed.

"Look. There's just people out there you won't ever understand. Get over it." Grimmjow responded flatly.

"But you don't even know me. You verbally attacked me and Keigo completely unprovoked."

"Your buddy insulted my idiot friend Grantz."

"Grantz? Oh! That pink-haired guy?"

"Yea. I don't like him, but I won't have you and your retarded friend bad-mouthing him." Grimmjow said as he finally looked him in the eyes.

"I-I like your eyes…" Ichigo said dazedly.

"…You're a creepy kid Kurosaki."

"Sorry. That kinda slipped out."

"So you gay or something?"

"Y-yeah."

"…"

"That's kinda why I didn't like you calling me pussy."

"Ha"

"Well, that and it isn't my name. Besides that, it's just vulgar."

"Maybe I'm just a vulgar guy." Grimmjow said, rising to his feet.

"…"

"Thanks for the lunch Kurosaki. If anyone asks, I beat you up and took it."

"Grimmjow!"

"What?"

Ichigo scribbled something on a sheet of paper he pulled from his pocket, and handed it to him.

"What the hell is this?" Grimmjow asked.

"My number. Text or call me anytime okay?"

"Yea. That'll happen."

The two headed to their last class silenced and awkwardly. Ichigo was a ways behind Grimmjow, and couldn't help but notice the way his butt moved when he walked. Grimmjow had a confident walk. It spoke his personality very clearly, he noted.

" _Perhaps a more appropriate word would be overconfident."_  Ichigo giggled as he thought that.

"One class left" he told himself as he walked into the classroom and took his seat behind Inoue.

Renji strutted in and caused a scene about him actually being in class. Ichigo blushed and put his head down, ready to get out of class and go home for the day.


	3. Closer

It was Friday night around eight o'clock, and Ichigo was unbelievably wide-eyed. He had waited all week long for this. When it finally happened, Ichigo's stomach was doing flips. He had received a text message from Grimmjow. Sitting back against his wall, Ichigo sighed and decided he shouldn't keep him waiting too long for a response.

" _Hey Grimmjow"_  he replied.

After sending it, he closed his eyes and wondered what on earth could make Grimmjow suddenly want to text him. Maybe he wanted to hang out or something? Ichigo was puzzled and anxious. The vibration of his phone startled him.

Opening the message, he prepared himself for anything Grimmjow would say.

" _Pussy"_

"…"

Somehow, Ichigo was expecting that.

" _What do you want?"_  was his reply.

After what seemed like an eternity, he received a reply.

" _I'm bored"_

Ichigo hated that. When someone texted him, he generally suspected they had more to say than just a word or two.

" _You've got friends. Go hang out with them."_  Ichigo finally decided on sending.

" _Just wanted to talk to your ass for a while. Is that a crime?"_

" _Then what do you want to talk about?"_

Moments later, Ichigo heard his window slide open.

"Hey Kurosaki"

"Wh-what the hell!" Ichigo exclaimed as he slid to the edge of his bed, ready to stand and defend if necessary.

"Yo." Grimmjow said as he climbed through the window.

"H-how the hell did you get up here! How do you know where I live!"

"I ran into that busty chick you hang out with and asked her." He replied.

"Inoue? When did you—is she alright!"

"Why wouldn't she be? I ran into her on my way to the store. She was on her way home."

"Why are you here?" Ichigo sighed.

"I told you I was bored."

"What do you want with me then?"

"I dunno. But I figured you'd be the most interesting of the weirdoes you hang with."

"Uh-" Ichigo was flustered by this point.

"You're so gay Kurosaki."

"Sh-shut up! You're the one who came to see me!"

"Eh. I guess you're right about that."

After adjusting himself to a more comfortable position on his bed, Ichigo face-palmed wearily.

"Naruto."

"Huh?"

"You read that garbage?" Grimmjow laughed.

"It's not garbage! It's a really great manga series. Too sophisticated for you?" Ichigo said smugly.

"Whatever. What ya got to do?"

"I—we could play video games, or watch this movie I just got."

"Depends. What movie ya got?" Grimmjow said walking over to the tv.

"I just got Zombieland from Renji. You want to-"

"I fucking love that movie! Ahem. I mean, yea. Put it on."

Ichigo walked to his tv and opened the DVD slot. Before he put it in, he noticed Grimmjow looking through his other movies. Placing the movie in, he simply smiled at Grimmjow's concentrated expression.

"Dibs on the bed!" Grimmjow yelled as he ran and jumped onto Ichigo's bed.

"That's where I sit. My room, my rules." Ichigo said.

"You don't know how to make yourself look decent in front of your guests do you?" Grimmjow said with an air of confidence.

"Uh! I—jerk." Ichigo said, having his words thrown back in his face "Don't you try and condescend-hey, I didn't even invite you over!"

"You gonna whine or start the movie?" Grimmjow asked.

Ichigo took his seat in his bed as Grimmjow noticed an album on Ichigo's desk.

"Hahaha! Taylor Swift! You listen to her?" Grimmjow all but laughed.

"If you're going to criticize me the whole time, I'm gonna kick you out." Ichigo said as Grimmjow stifled his laughter "Besides, I love her music." He finished self-assuredly.

"Yea, whatever." Grimmjow replied after his fit of laughter stopped.

* * *

Nnoitora was way too vulgar a person for Ulquiorra's tastes. He never knew why he ever hung out with him, or Grimmjow for that matter.

"Where the hell did Grimmjow go tonight?" Nnoitora asked.

"Probably on one of his usual sex-capades" Ulquiorra replied knowingly as he took his seat on his couch beside Nnoirotra.

"That guy. You'd think he'd have something by now." Nnoitora said as he watched Halibel walk into the room.

"Thanks for having me over tonight Ulquiorra." She said as she took her seat beside him and prepared to watch the movie with them.

"Think nothing of it. You are more bearable than this entity of vulgarity. Your presence is welcomed."

"Anyway," Nnoitora interrupted their conversation before it could get any further "You think he went to see that orange-haired clown he was messin with Monday?"

"Who knows? I never know what to expect from him anyway." Ulquiorra responded.

"Agreed." Halibel stated knowingly.

"The movie is starting." Ulquiorra said, dropping the subject.

* * *

The room was dark; the only thing giving it light was the dim light of the DVD selection menu. One could even use the word "tender" to describe the atmosphere you could almost feel.

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo called.

"Hm?"

"The movie is over. It's about nine thirty."

"So?"

"Your parents aren't going to worry about you being out so late?"

"…"

"Grimm-"

"My parents wouldn't give a fuck if I dropped off the face of the earth." Grimmjow stated without remorse.

"Oh… I'm sorry I brought it up." Ichigo apologized.

"My dad's out of the country on a "business trip" and my mom lives on the coast with her new lover." Grimmjow said angrily.

"My mom died when I was nine." Ichigo said comfortingly "I know how you feel."

Suddenly, Ichigo's radio came on. An alarm he had set to remind himself that he needed to do his homework tonight, at this time. He hadn't intended for Grimmjow to show up. The song that echoed softly through the room was  _Arms_ by _Christina Perri_. It gave a lovely and calming feel to the ones Ichigo felt already. All he could do was relax as he stared at the backside of Grimmjow's head. Blushing, he was about to speak, but was interrupted by a voice calling to him from the hallway.

"Onii-chan! You missed dinner! I put some aside in the refrigerator if you get hungry." Yuzu's voice faded, making Ichigo appreciate that she was going back downstairs. If she had walked in now, it would have been incredibly awkward.

Turning off his alarm, Ichigo spoke.

"Do you want to stay over? I could make a place for you on the floor." he suggested.

"Nah. Neliel's at home by herself."

"Okay. Wait. Neliel? Who's that?"

"My adopted sister." Was Grimmjow's only response as he rose to his feet and cracked his back.

"Oh. Well, get home safe Grimmjow." Ichigo said as he headed over to the window.

"Why would you even think I wouldn't?" Ichigo was impressed, but not surprised, with his usual air of overconfidence.

"Good night then." He said, defeated.

"Later Kurosaki." Were Grimmjow's last words as he slipped out the window and made his way down the street.

When Ichigo couldn't see the blue of Grimmjow's hair anymore, he closed his window and sighed to himself. What a night this had been. The only way he knew it wasn't a dream was because Grimmjow had unexpectedly punched his arm earlier while the movie played. He really enjoyed Grimmjow's company, no matter how vulgar and unpleasant he was bound to be. Blushing, Ichigo turned on the light in his room and prepared to end his night by showering and purposefully neglecting his homework. Honestly, who gave homework to students on a Friday?

* * *

Sundays were the furthest thing from Ichigo's favorite day of the week. Sundays meant the end of the weekend, and the start of a new one. He had seen this commercial on tv that said how Sundays were the day when everything great was to be scheduled. That was a load of bologna. Everything that had ever been scheduled on a Sunday was generally hurried and uncomfortable for Ichigo. All he wanted to do was get to school and be with his friends, and see Grimmjow again.

"Ichigo!" Karin called from downstairs.

"Yeah?" he responded as he closed his Trigonometry textbook.

"Rukia and Inoue are here to see you!"

After hearing that, Ichigo stood and rushed downstairs.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue spoke.

"Hey Ichigo" Rukia said.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Inoue tells me that you may have had a visitor Friday night." Rukia said, motioning for them to move to the privacy of Ichigo's room.

"Yeah… Let's go upstairs." He started.

Once the door closed, Ichigo became very flustered. This did not go unnoticed by either Rukia or Inoue.

"So Ichigo. Inoue said that Grimmjow asked where you lived, and after she told him, he headed in this direction."

"Yeah. He came over." Ichigo blushed.

"Kurosaki-kun! Did he hurt you!" Inoue asked too anxiously.

"No. He just wanted to hang out."

"Are you sure?" Rukia said.

"Yes."

This conversation led Ichigo to believe that his friends didn't trust Grimmjow at all. They hadn't spent any time with him, and from his usual uninviting and scowling demeanor, it wasn't unreasonable for them to think so poorly of him. He decided he would enlighten these two with some truth about him.

"Grimmjow isn't a bad guy. When he came over, he was actually being a decent human being. I know he seems like a total jerk, but he isn't so bad. Trust me." Ichigo finished as he took a seat on the floor in front of the two on his bed.

"Do you like him?" Rukia said as she observed the tint of his cheeks.

"I barely know him."

"Kurosaki-kun, it isn't bad to like someone you barely know. It's called "Love at First Sight"" Inoue said wholeheartedly.

Honestly, Ichigo did have some attraction to Grimmjow. He loved his attitude and the way he seemed confident in everything he did. Not to mention his looks and that killer body. Grimmjow's personality may have been a little rough around the edges, but he was very easy on the eyes. He wouldn't mind waking up next to his face, and surrounded in the warmth provided by his wonderfully sculpted arms.

"Arms…"

"Huh?" Inoue and Rukia said in unison.

"That song came on at the perfect moment when he was here. It was dark, and he was a bit upset from the conversation we had about our parents. When it came on, all I could do was feel…"

"Feel what?" Rukia said.

"Safe. Relaxed. Trust. It was like a wave of unending feelings." Ichigo replied honestly.

"Oh Kurosaki-kun! The universe has decided you will be with Jaegerjaques-kun!" Inoue chirped happily.

"More to the point, I think it's strange that he was looking for you so late at night anyway." Rukia added, calculatingly.

"Yeah." Was all Ichigo could say.

"Um. I don't know if Jaegerjaques-kun was looking for him exactly." Inoue corrected.

"Why not?" Rukia asked.

"I think he was about to start shopping, but then he saw me. He knew I'd know where Kurosaki-kun lived, so he asked me. Hm! It must have been fate at work!"

"Well, either way, he still sought you out Ichigo."

"Was he rude to you Inoue?" Ichigo asked.

For some reason, Ichigo felt compelled to protect Inoue. He knew he couldn't always protect her, but he would do all he could when he could. Thinking back on how he acted towards her, he laughed as he thought anyone who didn't know their relationship would suspect he was her guard or something. Even more ridiculously, what if they thought she was the daughter/princess of some Soul King in some Soul Society, and the fact that she had god-like powers became a dead giveaway to her connection to the realm of the Gods, and someone were to kidnap her in order to reach this Royal Family to assassinate them. Whew. That sure was a stretch.

"Not at all. I guess he figured if he was going to get an answer from me, he needed to be more polite." she giggled.

"That's good." Ichigo sighed.

Maybe Grimmjow had some decency after all.

"Anyway Ichigo, keep on your toes around him." Rukia added.

"Sure thing."

"One more thing." She said.

"Hm?"

"Most of your answers on this homework are wrong." she laughed.

"N-no way! I've been doing and redoing those all day!"

"Oh my Kurosaki-kun… I think you may need a tutor…" Inoue gasped as she looked them over herself.

"Gah! Math just isn't my strongest subject…" Ichigo sighed sadly. All that work for nothing. He truly hated Sundays.

* * *

On the other side of town, a certain blue-haired male had snuck into his sister's room and fumbled through her albums. After finding the two he was searching for, he slipped out and closed the door. It wasn't hours later until that a certain teal-haired female arrived home causing the silent mansion became chaotic from screeching.

"GRIMMJOW!"

Opening his bedroom door, Grimmjow stuck his head out and screamed down the hallway.

"WHAT!"

Storming down the hallway, Neliel stopped in front of Grimmjow's door to scream in his face.

"I know you went into my room and took my albums! Maybe if you hadn't left the rest so disorganized, I may not have noticed!"

"What are you talking about?" Grimmjow played innocent.

"My Taylor Swift albums! You took  _Fearless_  and  _Speak Now_! Maybe if you had asked—wait. Why did you take my Taylor Swift albums anyway? You hate her."

"Do you want 'em back or what?"

Giggling, Neliel just shook her head as she returned to her bedroom.

"Psychotic goat" Grimmjow commented as he closed his door and returned to his computer. He still had one more song to find. It spoke to him that night with Ichigo. Like they say, music calms the untamed beast.


	4. Revelations

It was finally Monday. Ichigo couldn't believe he wanted Monday to come quickly. The only thing worse than Sundays were Mondays. But this time, things were different. Monday meant school, and school meant Grimmjow. As he headed up to the school buildings, Ichigo was met with a tired Renji.

"Hey Ichigo. How was your weekend?" he asked.

"It was pretty good. What about yours?"

"Lame. All I did was play soccer with those annoying kids where I'm staying." He responded, dissatisfied.

"Sorry to hear that." Ichigo answered sincerely.

"Have you seen that Jaegerjaques guy around?"

"Nah." he lied.

"Tell me if you do. He's got an ass-kicking scheduled when I see his-"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Turning around, Ichigo acknowledged Inoue.

"Good morning Inoue. How've you been?"

"You saw me yesterday." she giggled, "Don't you remember? We were talking about—mmhmhmmhhmm!"

"Uh, Renji, I think I heard Keigo tell Mizuiro that you couldn't beat an old lady at Halo Reach." Ichigo commented as he held his hand firmly over Inoue's mouth.

"What! Now I got two ass kickings to deliver. Free of charge!" Renji said as he headed off to find Keigo.

"Sorry about that Inoue, but I'm not ready to tell Renji about Grimmjow just yet." He apologized.

"Oh. Why not Kurosaki-kun?" she asked.

"He's still brooding about the soccer ball to the head." He said as he watched Renji disappear into the building.

"Oh. He can be such a baby." Inoue giggled.

"Come on. Let's get to class. I still need to tell Rukia not to mention it to him yet."

"Alright."

* * *

As Ichigo and Inoue entered the classroom, they noticed something odd. Rangiku was seated on Grimmjow's desk. It looked like she was trying to convince him to do something for her.

"Good morning Rangiku, Grimmjow." Ichigo said as he took his seat. Inoue had been removed from his side as he entered his row by Chizuru.

"Good morning Ichigo." Rangiku said as she remembered something.

"Hey Kurosaki." Grimmjow responded.

"Ichigo, I was wondering of you were having another party anytime soon." Rangiku suggested more than asked.

"No, I'm not. Rangiku, class is gonna start soon. Maybe you should get to yours." he hinted as he noticed the aggravated look on Grimmjow's face.

"Right. Well,  _Grimmjow Jaegerjaques_ , it sure was nice to meet you. Ciao." She said with a wink as she made her way out of the classroom.

"Shameless." Ichigo mumbled.

"Grimmjow. Why didn't you get her number?" Nnoitora's questioned from the desk to Grimmjow's right.

"Didn't want it." he said flatly.

"Curious." Ulquiorra commented from behind Nnoitora "You  _usually_  rack up numbers like a phonebook. Have you become ill Grimmjow?"

"Bite me." Was the only response Grimmjow gave.

"We know you fuck anything that moves buddy. We just didn't want you to miss a  _golden_  opportunity." Nnoitora said, as though he knew something important.

All Ichigo could do was watch and listen. He was still stuck on the "anything that moves" part. Could that mean—

"I SAID BITE ME YOU LANKY BASTARD!"

Grimmjow's outburst caused a silence in the classroom.

"GRIMMJOW JAEGERJAQUES! To the principal's office! Right now!" Miss Misato yelled from the front of the classroom, effectively silencing the rest of the class.

"Whatever." He said as he grabbed his book sack and walked out of the classroom.

"Some friends." Rukia said in the desk next to Ichigo, causing him to jump.

"I wonder." Ichigo said as he turned his attention from Rukia to the door that Grimmjow had just exited through.

"Wonder? Wonder about what?" Rukia asked, puzzled.

"May I be excused? I need to use the bathroom." Ichigo all but yelled to the teacher.

"Sure."

Immediately, he stood and bolted out of the classroom. Nnoitora made a snide comment about him having to take a shit awfully bad, making Rukia and Renji glare his way. In the hallway, Ichigo headed towards the principal's office. As soon as he reached the door, he swung it open to reveal a very agitated Principal Yamamoto.

"What is the meaning of this Kurosaki Ichigo!" he roared.

"I'm sorry Principal. I was looking for something." He explained as he looked around the office.

With no sign of blue anywhere, he apologized again and closed the door to the office.

" _Only one place he would go."_  he thought.

* * *

Grimmjow sat on the roof of the school with his eyes closed. Even before that annoying chick sat on his desk this morning, he'd been having a shitty day. He woke up late this morning, forgot to shower, almost got hit by some asshole who didn't know how to drive, and finally, that golden-haired chick was practically putting his face in between her legs before the rest of the class had walked in. The only thing decent that had happened to him today was when Kurosaki had said good morning to him.

Opening his eyes, he noticed the clouds.

" _Clouds and stars."_ he thought.

After closing them briefly and opening them again, he noticed a mess of orange hair. Kurosaki.

"Hey." Was all Ichigo said as he took a seat next to Grimmjow.

"Hey." Was the only response he received.

"Look, Rangiku isn't so bad. That's the first time I've seen her act like that in a while. Maybe she just thinks you're hot and wanted to make a move?" Ichigo suggested questionably.

"I don't care about that Kurosaki. I've just been having a shitty morning, and Nnoitora just pushed my last button."

"Oh. Why do you hang out with him anyway? He seems like a royal pain." he admitted.

"Cuz he aint a pussy." Grimmjow said as he looked him up and down.

"I guess he's not, but you don't seem happy when you're with him…" Ichigo looked downcast. Grimmjow seemed to have quite a few problems in his life. If only he would let him ease the pain—wait, what was he thinking!

"You don't know what you're talking about Kurosaki. So just shut your face."

"I—you—whatever!" Ichigo said as he was about to stand to leave.

*GRAB*

"Don't fucking leave me Kurosaki." Grimmjow said as he held said boy's wrist.

"Grimmjow… I-I have to get back to class." He replied as he looked Grimmjow in the face. "We can hang out after school if you want?"

"…"

"Grimmjow?"

"Just get back to class."

"I'll come find you at lunch. Go to the garden again." Ichigo said as he walked to the door and opened it.

"Kurosaki..." Grimmjow said as he closed his eyes, some of his anger dissipating. Why did he have that affect on him? Letting the wind engulf his form, Grimmjow's anger of the morning's events left him. It was all thanks to Kurosaki really.

Lately, he had been thinking about him more than usual. Normally, he would have no such feelings of attachment to anybody he wanted physically. But Kurosaki was different. In the past, when he wanted to fuck someone, he did. But this time, he wasn't sure what he wanted. Why did he even bother with Kurosaki? Was he actually interested in him beyond that of physical attraction? He was confused now more than he had been in Chemistry class, and that was saying something.

Kurosaki was indeed different. He was relatable, and interesting in more ways than just that mess of orange hair that stood out just as much as his own blue hair did. But what if Kurosaki wasn't interested in anything Grimmjow had to offer? He wasn't sure the world was ready to face him if such a thing happened. Then he came up with an idea. Kurosaki seemed to be quite fond of that chick. What was her name? Inoue? Yea. Maybe he had spilled some of his guts to her. He would have to speak to her soon. The last time he did, he wasn't as overbearing as he usually is, so he hoped she wasn't frightened by him in any way.

Making up his mind to talk to that Inoue girl the next time he ran into her alone, Grimmjow lifted himself to his feet and headed to his next class.

* * *

"Lunch time!" Inoue called as she led the group to their usual spot. However, she noticed that Ichigo wasn't among them today.

"Step aside girl!" Nnoitora told her as he made his way towards them.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia asked.

"I came to challenge you wanna-bes to a soccer match. Right here. Right now." He said confidently.

"I accept," Renji spoke "Keigo, Tatsuki, Chad, Toshiro, Rukia, you guys are all on my team."

"Ulquiorra, Yammy, Aaroniero, Halibel, and Stark! Get over here!" Nnoitora called rudely.

"Can't wait to show you newbies who runs this school." Renji said as he stood firmly in front of Nnoitora.

"We'll see how well you talk with the ball stuck in that giant trap of yours!" Nnoitora retorted with a laugh.

Turning around, Renji spoke.

"Chad, you defend the goal. Rukia, you and Toshiro stay on defense. Tatsuki, Keigo and I are on offense. Let's go!"

"YEAH! Let's do it!" Keigo shouted.

"I can't let those guys show me up. Let's get 'em Renji!" Tatsuki added enthusiastically.

"Renji, don't lose focus on offense." Rukia reminded him.

"All right. Let's get this party started!" Renji exclaimed as Nnoitora ran his way with the ball.

"GO DEFENSE!" Inoue yelled from under their shady tree.

Mizuiro and Michiru sat behind her to her left, chatting excitedly. Chizuru stood beside Inoue and became a second "cheerleader" with her. Ishida sat alone, calculating the chances that their team would actually lose. After seeing their team had Toshiro, Tatsuki and Chad, he settled with their chances of losing were slim to none. He confidently adjusted his glasses with a smirk.

* * *

In the garden, Ichigo sat waiting patiently. It was already ten minutes into lunch and there was still no sign of Grimmjow. Was he going to stand him up? Or maybe their first period teacher found him and made him report to Principal Yamamoto's office. Either way, Ichigo figured that maybe it was a bit much to expect Grimmjow to actually like him enough to eat lunch with him in the garden. A garden? How cheesy could he get?

"Yo, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow exclaimed as he rounded the corner with a large plate full of pizza.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo shouted too excitedly.

"I brought some pizza. Want some?"

"Sure." he said, bringing himself to a more appropriate level.

Taking a seat next to Ichigo, Grimmjow began to speak.

"Kurosaki"

"Hm?"

"I saw your buddies getting creamed by Nnoitora and his team on the soccer field." He laughed.

"What! Impossible! Was Renji playing?"

"That loud-ass red-head? Yeah, he was."

"He probably put Tatsuki on offense… Trust me, they won't be getting creamed for long." He said, more confident than Ishida in his hypothesis.

"That dyke-looking chick?"

"Shut up! She happens to be bisexual. Not a lesbian. And she's a really cool, really athletic girl. I'd say even you couldn't beat her in soccer if you tried."

"What!" Dropping his pizza on his plate, Grimmjow looked at Ichigo calculatingly.

"That's right. I said it. You. Don't. Stand. A. Chance." Ichigo knew he was poking the lion with a pointed stick.

"We'll see!" Grimmjow said, angrily picking up his slice of pizza.

"Anyway, Grimmjow, I just wanted to say that I… I won't leave you." he said softly, referring to the statement Grimmjow made on the roof this morning.

"Kurosaki-"

"I mean, if you want me to be your friend, I will! Okay? …I won't abandon you."

"You're such a pussy." Grimmjow smirked.

* * *

Renji was not at all satisfied. After Aaroniero's last goal, Nnoitora's team was now ahead of them by a point.

"Looks like we own this school" he grinned, showing off his piano key-like teeth.

"Argh! DAMN!" Renji yelled.

"I got this!" Tatsuki said as she ran by Renji and swiped the ball from Nnoitora.

"Damnit! Catch her!" he roared.

"Not this time!" Keigo said as he ran to her aid, followed by Rukia, Toshiro, and Renji.

"Got it! Take THIS!" Tatsuki yelled as she kicked the ball past Yammy and into the goal. As it rolled out she ran at it again, too quick for Yammy to catch her.

"Tatsuki's Double Goal!" she exclaimed as she kicked it into the net. It hit the pole lying on the ground and flew back at her.

"And! Triple Goal!" she roared as she jumped and kicked it in a third time, getting nothing but net.

"No fucking way!" Aaroniero commented as Nnoitora angrily stomped an ant pile.

"We rule this school!" Tatsuki said as she walked back to the shade.

"Nice moves Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue called.

"Thanks! I've been perfecting that move for quite some time now. The pole is still legally a part of the goal, and it's wrapped in net. Those guys never saw it coming!" she laughed.

"Nice work Tatsuki!" Renji yelled.

"Damn! We'll get em another fucking time!" Nnoitora yelled as he left the field.

"They just caught us off guard. And that move was quite surprising. She must be an expert on the field." Ulquiorra commented as the bell rang.

"That was amazing!" Michiru told Tatsuki as she, Tatsuki, Inoue, and Chizuru led the group back to the building.

"I knew they couldn't beat us." Ishida said indubitably.

* * *

"Lunch is over." Ichigo said as he rose and threw away their plates.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Grimmjow commented.

"Anyway, do you wanna hag out after school?"

"Sure. Meet me in the parking lot after seventh period is over."

"Parking lot? You drive?"

"Yeah."

"Oh o-okay."

"See ya then. Look for the royal blue Mustang." Grimmjow said as he headed to his sixth period class.

"See you then Grimmjow." Ichigo mumbled under his breath. What a fine lunch they had together.

The rest of the day seemed to take forever to go by. Ichigo couldn't wait to get out of seventh period so he could go and hang out with Grimmjow. After arriving to his next class, Ichigo heard the news about Tatsuki's amazing defeat over Nnoitora. Renji went on and on about how they were the kings and queens of Karakura High School. No matter how many times he heard it though, he knew they weren't going to lose to  _Nnoitora_.

When the bell rang, signaling the school day was over, he said his goodbyes to his friends and quickly made his way behind the school to the student parking lot. There, he spotted the royal blue Mustang and made his way over to it. When he reached it, he noticed that Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen. Then, he looked back to the exit doors, and saw Ulquiorra and Nnoitora heading his way. When they reached the car, Nnoitora snorted and got in the back seat as Ulquiorra did the same.

" _Guess I'll be sitting in the passenger's seat."_  he thought with a smile.

Something was off though. Where was Grimmjow? He hadn't seen either Ulquiorra or Nnoitora use a keypad to unlock the car. Turning his head back to the school's exit, he spotted Grimmjow, but he wasn't alone. He was walking with Inoue, who had an unusually serious look on her face as they spoke. Once the conversation seemed to be over, Grimmjow parted ways with her and made his way to his car. Inoue walked back into the school, most likely looking for Tatsuki, Chad, and Rukia to walk home with. Smiling at her safety, Ichigo turned his full attention to Grimmjow.

"Hey Kurosaki." He said as he opened the driver's door to his car.

"Hey Grimmjow." he said as he imitated his actions with the passenger's door, which Ulquiorra had rudely closed.

Starting up his car and driving out of the parking lot, Grimmjow remained focused on the road, only turning his attention to Ichigo or his CD player at a stop sign or a red light. It became obvious to Ichigo that Grimmjow drove in the same way that he acted. He was viciously rounding corners, he sped up when the traffic lights turned yellow, and he was always driving well over the speed limit. He even managed to run two red lights. He truly gave meaning to aggressive driving. It was surprising that he had a license honestly.

Pulling into a gas station, Grimmjow drove up to the pump and got out of the car. Once he was out of earshot, Nnoitora spoke.

"So, I can see Grimmjow has a new plaything. Wonder how long this one's gonna last." He said smugly.

"Excuse me." Ichigo said, turning to face him.

"You heard me. If you didn't know, Grimmjow's motto is "smash it and trash it"." He stated, "Basically, you're just another piece of smash-able trash." Nnoitora laughed hysterically.

"That's quite enough you babbling idiot." Ulquiorra said to him as he noticed Ichigo's expression.

What did all of this mean? Was Grimmjow gay? Or bisexual? And if he was, was he only looking to "smash," as Nnoitora had said? When he saw Grimmjow walking out of the gas station, he felt a tinge of regret and betrayal. As Grimmjow pumped the gas into his car, Ichigo could only inwardly despair. After all they had said to each other, was he merely looking for a good fuck? Well, Ichigo wasn't the type to let himself be used, so he decided to confront him when they got the chance to be alone together.

Opening the door, Grimmjow noticed two things. One: Nnoitora was stifling laughter. Two: Kurosaki seemed upset. What had that asshole done now?

"You okay Kurosaki?" he asked.

"I'm fine." He responded as he looked out the window.

Dropping the matter for the time being, Grimmjow decided he would talk to Kurosaki when they got to his house.

* * *

After dropping Ulquiorra and Nnoitora off at their respectable houses, Grimmjow headed to his own. The ride there was quiet and frankly, you could cut the tension with a butter knife.

Once they pulled into the driveway, Ichigo gasped silently as he looked over this unexpected sight. Grimmjow had just pulled into the gates of a mansion. It was beautiful to say the least. The lawn and plants were all in amazing condition. There were two large fountains in the front yard, closer to the entrance. It seemed like a bit much for a neighborhood of normal houses. It was overbearing and showed off an air of confidence, just like Grimmjow did. When they reached the large garage, Grimmjow opened his door and stepped out. Ichigo followed suit, and followed Grimmjow to the door that connected the garage to the house.

"Follow me, and if you see a girl who looks like a goat with an annoying voice, just ignore her." Grimmjow stated.

"…"

"Grimmjow! Is that you!" came a voice, probably from the living room Ichigo suspected.

"Fuck off!" Grimmjow said as he turned the corner that led the kitchen to the living room.

"I knew it." Said a girl with greenish hair. She looked like she was in, at most, the tenth grade. She had teal colored hair and her height was about to Ichigo's own shoulder. She was beautiful to say the least. Grimmjow was just kidding about the goat part then. "Who's this?" she asked.

"None of your business. Go back to eating your face off and watching Jersey Shore." Grimmjow said as he walked down a hallway.

Following, Ichigo waved to her and she smiled back at him.

"Is that Neliel?" he asked as Grimmjow closed the door to his room.

"Unfortunately"

The next thing Ichigo took in was he state Grimmjow's room was in. It was honestly a wreck. Clothes and CDs were everywhere. His desk was covered in papers, most were probably from last year. His clean clothes were stuffed recklessly into his dresser, and a large pile lie on his bed. His closet had some order to it, but it was pretty bad off with all the shoes lying sprawled on its floor. Somehow, Ichigo wasn't surprised. Grimmjow's book sack was a mess, so it wasn't surprising that his room would be too. The only thing that wasn't a mess was his car.

" _Probably so he could pick people up and bring them to this dump of a room to fuck…"_  he immediately thought, remembering what Nnoitora had said to him earlier.

Dimming the lights, Grimmjow turned to Ichigo.

"You okay Kurosaki?"

"Grimmjow…"

"Did Nnoitora say something to you?"

Deciding he had nothing to lose, Ichigo spoke.

"He told me that you just wanna "smash and trash me"." He said looking down to his feet.

"Is that what you think?" Grimmjow responded, making his way to Ichigo, and standing directly in front of him.

"I-I don't know what to think. I don't want that to be true though."

"Kurosaki, I-I'm terrible with this shit." He said, his air of confidence leaving him. With whatever self-assurance he had left, he took Ichigo's hands into his own. "Kurosaki."

"Grimm…" Ichigo said as he felt his emotions going haywire.

"Kurosaki, I-I do want you. But I don't just want your body, I want  _you_  in every way I can have you. I have fun with you, and you treat me like a human being, most of the time." He spoke as he led Ichigo over to the computer and started a song playing. When Ichigo heard the lyrics begin, he felt a tear in his soul.

Ichigo mouthed the lyrics  _"You put your arms around me and I'm home."_

"Kurosaki?"

"Grimm-"

Grimmjow silenced him with his lips, figuring that if anymore words were spoken, things might get screwed up even more. He engulfed Kurosaki's mouth with his own. The feeling was pure bliss. He had never felt so right in his entire life. Standing here, in this moment, holding Kurosaki as he pulled him closer, Grimmjow knew that he must've had something damn good karma to be experiencing this. Right here, right now, in this moment, he knew this was meant to happen.

To say Ichigo was taken by surprise when Grimmjow kissed him would be the understatement of the century. A kiss was the last thing he was expecting to happen. Not knowing what else to do, he released his hands from Grimmjow's grasp and placed them firmly in his blue locks of hair. As he ran his fingers through them, he closed his eyes as he gave into the ecstasy that was kissing Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. When he felt a tongue poke his lips, he opened his mouth to allow Grimmjow all the exploration he desired. When he felt it rub against his own tongue, he thought he would collapse into his grasp. Even his kiss with Renji didn't compare to this. In this moment, Ichigo just wanted to leave his life and stay in his arms like this forever. This was supernatural to say the least.

*Knock Knock*

As soon as the sound of the door being attacked echoed through the room, the two tore apart and stared first at the door, and then each other, calculating.

"Grimmjow! Open this door!" Neliel yelled from the hallway.

"Sit down Kurosaki." He told him softly.

"Y-yeah." He replied as he took a seat on Grimmjow's bed.

Opening the door, Grimmjow looked down at Neliel and rudely asked her what she wanted.

"I just got news from dad! He's coming home tomorrow!" she chirped as she jumped up and down in the hallway.

"So? He won't be home long." Grimmjow said, uninterested.

"Hey, what are you and that boy doing in here anyway? Your face is beet red!" she giggled as she tried to look around his larger form.

"Get lost Neliel. I'm busy." He said as he closed the door in her face.

"That's good news Grimmjow." Ichigo said as he looked anywhere but at him.

"Yea, I guess." He agreed as he took a seat next to Ichigo on the bed.

When Grimmjow noticed that Ichigo was red enough to explode, he made a suggestion.

"Wanna play a video game?"

"Oh! Y-yeah. If you want to?" Ichigo stuttered.

"Okay. Look through these and tell me what you wanna play." Grimmjow said as he got a large CD book.

"S-sure." Ichigo agreed as he took it and flipped through the pages of plastic cases.

It had gotten pretty late. Around eight o'clock, Ichigo decided he should be getting home. Grimmjow insisted that he let him give him a ride. Not willing to pass up the chance to be alone with him, he agreed to be driven home. In the car, Ichigo became increasingly curious about the school known as  _Hueco Mundo_  after he had seen an old id in Grimmjow's glove compartment. Yea, he was kind of nosey. Who isn't?

"So tell me about your old school. I asked Inoue about it when she was invited to visit by your old principal, Aizen, I think his name was. She never really talked about it though."

"That guy. I really fucking hated him. The school was fine before he showed up and decided he wanted to "brighten things up with a little sunshine". I think that's why he invited that girl to visit. He said her presence was a "welcome ray of light the school needed" or some shit." Grimmjow recollected.

"Why? Was it really that depressing?"

"Hell no it wasn't! Things were perfect before he showed up. He gave everyone but Ulquiorra the creeps. I can see why she didn't want to enroll though."

"Inoue? Oh I know she'd never willingly leave us." Ichigo assured.

"The Vice Principal, Barragan, really hated Aizen's guts. It was originally his school until that bastard showed up and took it over."

"Are you happy at our school?" Ichigo asked as he looked at Grimmjow sincerely.

"It aint so bad." Was all Grimmjow said as he turned down Ichigo's street.

"Oh."

Pulling up to Ichigo's house, he slowed to a stop in front of the place.

"Thanks for the ride Grimmjow."

"No prob. Good night Kurosaki." He said as Ichigo opened the door.

"Y-yeah, good night Grimmjow." Ichigo said as he stared into those oceanic blue eyes.

Moving closer, Grimmjow placed his lips firmly onto Ichigo's. When the two parted, Ichigo blushed, stepped out and closed the door. He waved as he unlocked his front door. When the door to the Kurosaki family clinic closed, Grimmjow grinned as he knew he had gotten home safely, and pulled off into the night.


	5. Truth or Lie

This was not Ichigo's idea of studying. The weekend had come rather quickly, and he had invited Rukia over to help him with his Trigonometry work. It was supposed to be no big deal really. But she had accidentally spilled the beans to Renji, and that's why he was stuck in his current predicament.

Sitting at his desk, he gripped his pen as he listened to Renji argue with Ishida about their tactics in the video game they were playing. Of course, Ishida suggested that they wear head gear so they wouldn't disturb him, but Renji made up for the noises with his own booming voice.

"Kurosaki-kun is trying to study so please keep your voices down." Inoue said.

"Just give it a rest Inoue." Ichigo said as he looked to her.

"But you'll never be able to study with so much noise." She explained.

"It's fine, I can study tomorrow. Besides, we haven't all hung out in a while." He said simply, "Where'd Rukia disappear to anyway?"

"She had to take a call. I think she's in your living room." Inoue motioned towards the door.

"Gah. That girl. Well, guess I might as well go get us all something to eat. You hungry Chad?"

Looking to the corner, he noticed that Chad couldn't hear him due to the earphones in his ear.

"I'll just bring enough for everyone." He said as he looked towards Renji and Ishida.

Closing the door behind him, he headed downstairs. When he reached the kitchen, he glanced over into his living room. Rukia was texting, not talking. Maybe she ended her conversation before he walked in.

"Ichigo." Walking into the kitchen, Rukia continued, "How are things between you and Grimmjow?"

"Oh, we're okay. Nothing's happened since Monday though. I'm kind of unsure of what he wants from me..." He said as his mood immediately lowered while he prepared the snacks.

"Maybe he's pacing himself. I don't really know what to expect from him anyway. He seems…unstable…" she said, not making him feel any better.

"I don't know either. When I see him again, I'll talk to him about  _us_."

"Have you told Renji? Or anyone besides me and Inoue?"

"I told Chad. He took it pretty well, but he isn't so trusting of Grimmjow just yet."

"That's good. What about Ishida? Are you going to tell him?" Rukia asked as she leaned on the table.

"Ishida already knew. He said there was something about the way we acted around each other that would lead to…well, it was  _supposed_  to lead to a relationship, or  _something_. But maybe Grimmjow isn't looking to get into any commitments right now." Ichigo replied, making Rukia raise an eyebrow.

"Maybe you should go and see him." She suggested.

"No, I want him to come and see me. Then he'll be on my turf. And we  _are_  going to talk about that kiss." he replied with confidence.

"Okay. Good luck with him Ichigo. You'll definitely need it. Anyway, we should get this food up to the others."

* * *

When Ichigo decided that his friends would be spending the night, his father, Ishiin, immediately became unreasonably suspicious.

"Ichigo, are you planning to have an orgy?"

"WHAT THE HELL! Why would you think I'm doing that!" he yelled as his face turned crimson.

"Well, you are having them stay over in your room right? I can only assume-"

"Rukia and Inoue are sleeping in the guest room. Renji, Chad, and Ishida are bunking on the couches. Honestly. You think into things a little bit too much dad. Can they stay over or what? It's past ten o'clock." he replied as he tried to calm himself.

"That makes sense. It's fine with me then." he answered as he left Ichigo blushing in the hallway.

Opening the door to his room, Ichigo was met with a laughing Rukia and Renji, while Inoue blushed and Ishida adjusted his glasses a few times. Chad seemed quite unfazed by the whole conversation, making him thankful.

"You guys can start showering and stuff. Clean towels are in the bathroom closet." He said as he took his seat on the bed.

"I'll go first if that's okay?" Inoue suggested.

"That's fine."

"Your dad's an idiot." Renji stated after the door closed again.

"Would you just drop it?" turning red, Ichigo brought his legs up to his chest and buried his face in his arms.

"Well, I'm going to the guest room for now." Rukia said as she stood from the desk chair, "Maybe we can tell ghost stories or something later on to conjure some spirits." She joked.

"You mean a séance?" Ishida asked seriously.

"No. Just stories in general. I was kidding about the conjuring spirits part." She corrected as she left the room.

Once everyone was finished with their showers, they returned to Ichigo's room. Rukia was still insistent on telling stories or doing something besides playing video games. After Renji was defeated in argument, they all sat down on Ichigo's floor to begin the storytelling.

"You wanna hear about how we trashed that moron Nnoitora on the soccer field?" Renji asked.

"NO!" came everyone's response. It wasn't a bad story, but they had all heard/seen it enough times to write a book on it.

"Fine. Then what do you want to talk about Rukia?" Renji asked as he slid closer to her and lay on his side so that his head rested on his arm right beside her.

"How about we talk about the time you fell down those stairs?" she retorted smugly.

"That wasn't even funny." He said when he noticed Ichigo and Ishida begin to snicker.

"We could talk about the new television show that emphasizes love and peace to animals." Inoue chirped.

"No thanks Inoue." Ichigo laughed as he thought of the perfect thing for them to talk about.

"Well? Do you have any hot topics then?" Renji asked.

"Actually, I do. Do you all remember the mystery about the man who ventured into the woods at night and was never seen again?"

"That was a myth Kurosaki. The whole time that story covered the news, not a single person was reported missing." Ishida commented.

"That's because the man was a recluse. He lived by himself in the countryside, so nobody knew him at all." Ichigo responded.

"So how did they know he went missing then?" Rukia asked.

"A couple saw him walk into the woods. When they called to him, he didn't respond. They informed the local authorities, and there was a search and everything. The police hounds all lost track of his scent in the same spot. A cave that runs deep underground is where their search ended. Rumor has it he was possessed by something."

"That story is illogical at best Kurosaki." Ishida commented again.

"His remains were found earlier this month. Identification was verified too."

"How do you know that?" Renji asked.

"It was on the news during about a week and a half ago. You guys must not watch the local news I guess."

"That's scary Kurosaki-kun! Maybe there's something out there that feasts on unsuspecting victims in the night! Now I'm scared to go home."

"It's a mystery all right. But I'm not so sure he was possessed. I think he knew what he was doing. His bones had self-inflicted wounds, so the anthropologists believe he was suicidal. There's been word spreading that cannibals live in that cave. Maybe he was tired of living so he offered himself to them. Nobody has ever been brave enough to go investigate though."

"Change of story! That shit's freaking me out!" Renji proclaimed.

"How about we play truth or dare?" Rukia suggested, obviously as disturbed as Renji was.

"Good idea." Inoue added.

"You guys wanted a story…" Ichigo said as he got into his bed and pulled a Naruto manga from his desk.

* * *

Once everyone had calmed themselves down with their truth or dare rounds, they decided to go off to bed. Inoue and Rukia made their way to the guest room while Renji, Ishida, and Chad headed downstairs to the couches. When Ichigo closed his door, he headed over to his bed. After flipping the switch to his lamp, he burrowed under the covers and tried to think of everything but the story he had told. He even felt a little creeped out himself after telling it. Looking at his clock, he saw that it was well after midnight, so he figured he should be going to sleep now.

It didn't help him fall asleep any quicker now that it had begun raining outside. A tapping at his window only made him even more nervous. Really, why did the rain have to be so loud?

*TAP TAP TAP*

Realizing that the rain didn't tap that hard, Ichigo figured something was hitting his window. Maybe a tree branch was hitting against it from the wind or something. Leaning over and pulling back the curtains, he almost had a heart attack as the lightning showed a large black figure leaning against his window, looking at him.

"Kurosaki! Are you gonna let me in or what?"

"Gri-grimmjow?"

"Who else would it be?"

Opening the window quickly, he let Grimmjow fall onto his bed.

"Grimmjow, what are you doing here this late? And you're soaked! Did you walk here?"

"No shit Kurosaki. Help me get this jacket off." He said.

Once his wet clothes were removed, he sprawled himself out on Ichigo's bed.

"Me and my dad got into an argument. He tried to send me to my room like I was some fucking five-year-old, so I left."

"So, you didn't come here in the pouring rain just to see me." Ichigo said as he looked over to Grimmjow.

Moving to lean back against the cool wall, the bluenette sighed, while Ichigo inconspicuously noticed his wet, bare chest and abs. The rain must have soaked him more than he thought. Ichigo had grabbed a pair of his sweat pants from his dresser for him to wear to save him some dignity because Grimmjow had chosen to come over commando tonight.

"I coulda gone to Nnoitora's, Ulquiorra's, or anybody else's place, but I didn't. I came here to see  _you_  Kurosaki."

"Well, while you're here, I want to talk to you." Ichigo managed to muster.

"About what?"

"About us, Grimmjow. What are we? Did Monday night mean nothing at all? Were you lying back there in your room? I just…I don't know what to think anymore."

"Kurosaki, I aint good with relationship stuff. I aint boyfriend material. You'd be better off dating a chick then chasin' after me."

"…"

"…"

"So what did you mean when you said you wanted me? Was that a lie? Were you just trying to get in my pants?"

"No. I did mean the things I said, honest. I just…I don't wanna hurt you Kurosaki. If you got with me, it'd only end badly."

"Why? Are you that unsure of your ability to commit? Or are you just scared?"

"Don't go there Kurosaki."

"Fine! Fuck you Grimmjow!" Ichigo shouted as he angrily lodged himself under his covers. Luckily for them, it was storming outside, so no one could have heard his outburst. Honestly, it was like he wanted them to get caught.

After eons of silence, Grimmjow crawled over to him and pulled the covers from over his head to look at him.

"Don't be so fucking mad at me Kurosaki. I just don't want you to get hurt. It wouldn't work out between us."

Choosing to look him in the face now, Ichigo spoke quietly.

"But you're already hurting me Grimmjow. I like you, a lot. I know all I need to about you to know that I want to be with you."

"Kurosaki…"

"Just…just hold me Grimmjow. Don't leave. I don't care if the others find you in here. Just stay with me, at least for tonight."

Lifting the blankets, Grimmjow positioned himself behind Ichigo and wrapped his arms around him before speaking into his ear.

"If you want me so bad, then I'm yours. But don't say I didn't fucking warn you later."

Turning quickly to look him in the eyes, Ichigo nodded before responding.

"I won't."

"Good."

"Grimmjow?"

"Yea?"

"You can stand under my umbrella." Ichigo laughed.

"Shut up Kurosaki." Grimmjow laughed as well.

The last thing he remembered was kissing Grimmjow in the midst of the storm before he fell asleep in his arms that night.

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo woke up feeling oddly restricted. He was being held by someone. Turning over, he was shocked to see Grimmjow lying right in front of him, his hair and eyes the only part of him not under the blanket. Then, the events of the night came to him as he quickly remembered what Grimmjow had told him.

" _If you want me so bad, then I'm yours. But don't say I didn't fucking warn you later."_

That's right! He and Grimmjow had officially started their relationship last night. He smiled as he pulled back more of the blanket to reveal a pool of drool on his pillow. Grimmjow had slept like a fucking dog. His drool was everywhere, making him wonder how he hadn't gotten any on him while they slept.

Regardless of the drool, Ichigo realized something. He had a perfect opportunity to take a look at the sight he missed out on last night. When Grimmjow had stepped out of his pants, he had turned his back to him so as not to see his privates. But now that he saw his chance, he was going for it.

Lifting the covers back even more, he blushed as he noticed something else. Grimmjow was a natural bluenette. His happy trail was the lightest blue he had ever seen. Reaching out his hand, he slowly grabbed the hem of the sweats with his index finger and thumb. Before he pulled, he needed to make sure Grimmjow wasn't stirring in his sleep. When he looked back to his face, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Grimmjow had been wide awake the whole time. When his eyes met those blue ones, he thought he would die from shock.

"If you wanted to see it, you shoulda just asked." He said in a calm voice.

"I-I I was just-"

"You wanna blow me Kurosaki?"

"I-I uh, thought you were-"

"You thought I was asleep?"

"Yea… I was just a little curious-Gr-grimmjow! What are you doing!" Ichigo asked as he grabbed the other boy's hand to stop him from pulling down his pants.

"You wanted to see. Besides, I could use a good blow job." He said as he pulled them down with his other hand.

"GRIMMJOW!" he screamed as he turned his head and shut his eyes.

"So you could look while I'm sleeping, but not when I'm awake?"

Sighing, Ichigo looked him in the eyes. He had a good point.

"Take a look. It's right there in all its glory."

"I…ugh."

Gathering all of his courage, Ichigo moved his eyes from Grimmjow's eyes, to his chest, to his abs, to his happy trail, to his pubic hairs, then finally—

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Onii-chan! Are you okay in there?" Yuzu called from the hallway.

"Y-yeah Yuzu! I'm fine!"

"Alright. Breakfast will be ready in about fifteen minutes." She said as she walked away from the door.

"That was so close!" Ichigo yelled into his pillow.

"So Kurosaki?"

"Hm?" he said as he lifted his head and turned to look Grimmjow in the eyes.

"I was dead serious about that blow job." He smiled.

"I-idiot!" Ichigo said as he closed his eyes.

"Fifteen minutes is more than enough time." He laughed widely, showing off all of his teeth.

Looking closely at him, Ichigo noticed that Grimmjow didn't feel awkward about asking, or more like demanding, for him to give him a blow job. How could he be so natural with this kind of stuff? The mere thought of doing _that_  made him blush harder than he ever had before, making Grimmjow laugh.

Grimmjow was very handsome. He had the looks, and the personality to make Ichigo crave him more. Looking his masculine features over again and again as he laughed into the pillow, Ichigo made his decision. When would he get another chance like this? Besides that, Grimmjow was laughing at him. Not with him.  _At_  him. He was laughing  _at_ him for being so nervous about a seemingly small sexual favor. To Ichigo though, it was a big step. He hadn't done anything like that for real before. Of course, he had always fantasized about doing it to Renji, and as of late, Grimmjow too. Well he was gonna show him! He was gonna give him the best damned blow job he ever had!

"Fine. I'll do it." He said confidently, although he was redder than before.

"Hahaha- r-really? You gonna suck me Kurosaki?" he asked excitedly.

"Go ahead. Whip it out again."

Pulling the blanket back again, Grimmjow put his hands on the sweats and pulled them down, revealing his hardened member.

"There you go. Have at it." He smiled.

Damn that smile. That beautiful, overconfident, cocky smile of his; it made him sick how much he loved it.

Moving himself to a more comfortable position, Ichigo calmed himself to let all of his anger subside. All he wanted from this moment with Grimmjow was passion. Getting closer he—

"Don't watch me Grimmjow!"

"Don't bite me Kurosaki!" he mimicked.

Moving himself closer to it, he noticed a smell. It wasn't an unpleasant one like he was expecting though. It was heavy and strong. It was warmer than usual under his covers last night and he had slept in sweat pants, so it wasn't surprising that Grimmjow had a scent. He liked it though; it turned him on even more. The next thing he took in was the sight of it. It was long, and wide. It had one vein on the underside, and a much smaller one on the top. The base was surrounded by blue so true he thought he was looking into the sky. All that was left was the taste.

Licking the tip quickly got him Grimmjow's attention again. He licked the slit twice, then a third time. As he retracted his tongue, he felt a liquid following it. Pre cum. Deciding to taste the liquid, he licked again to get a more satisfying amount. It didn't really have a taste, but since it came from Grimmjow, he settled for saying he enjoyed it. Ichigo noticed the longing look in Grimmjow's eyes when he looked up to see his expression.

Opening his mouth, he took in as much of him as he could. He had known it wouldn't all fit, so he settled for pleasuring what he could. It fit perfectly into his mouth, and it tasted quite pleasant. Bobbing his head up and down, he got a good rhythm going. After doing so a couple more times, he slowed his pace and sucked. He now wanted to taste all that Grimmjow had to offer.

Having his member sucked like a straw was something Grimmjow had never experienced before. No one in the past had been so inventive. Kurosaki must have intended to swallow his load if this was how he was gonna play. Grimmjow couldn't stifle his moans anymore. He knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer. After looking down and seeing that orange head bobbing on his dick, Grimmjow felt his climax.

"Kurosaki- I-I'm about to-"

Before he could finish his statement, he spilled himself into Ichigo's craving mouth with a loud moan.

Sucking harder, Ichigo swallowed all he could before Grimmjow collapsed. His sperm tasted…well…many words could describe it really. It was salty, tangy, and hot. It was Grimmjow in essence. And because it was, Ichigo decided that he loved it.

Wiping his mouth for any lingering fluids, he moved up beside Grimmjow's ecstasy-encased form.

"Kurosaki, that felt amazing." Grimmjow said as he leaned over to kiss him.

The kiss was brief, but it gave Grimmjow exactly what he was looking for. He could taste himself inside Kurosaki's mouth, and he loved it. It was thrilling to say the least. He belonged to him now. And nobody could claim him.

All Ichigo could do was blush. The experience wasn't so bad. Actually, because it was with Grimmjow, he felt more comfortable doing it.

He wasn't going to be forgetting this feeling anytime soon.

"Now, let me return the favor." Grimmjow said lustfully.

"W-what? You want to-?"

"Drop your pants Kurosaki. I'm gonna blow you away."

"ONII-CHAN! Breakfast is ready! Your friends are already eating!"

"Damnit!" Grimmjow exclaimed "Perfect timing"

"Sorry Grimm. Another time I guess." Getting off of his bed, Ichigo made for the door, "You hungry? I can bring you some food."

"Nah. I'm gonna head over to Nnoitora's place." Grimmjow responded as he stood from the bed himself, turned, and picked up one of the shirts on the floor.

"No!" Ichigo shouted as he ran and wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's waist from behind "Don't leave. I want you to stay for a while Grimm."

"Kurosaki, aren't your friends here?"

"They already know I like you."

"What about your family?"

"They know I'm gay Grimm. Really the only one who's out of the loop is Renji."

"What do you want me to do here?"

"Just stay. I can deal with whatever happens." He said, releasing the muscular frame in front of him.

It was entirely Grimmjow's decision.

"All right. I'll stay here with you Kurosaki." He said, pulling the boy's shirt over his head.

"Okay. You wanna come downstairs and get some food?"

"Yeah, sure." He said.

As they left the room, Grimmjow firmly slapped Ichigo on the butt.

"Grimmjow!"

"It's mine now Kurosaki." He replied.

"Hmph."

* * *

"GRIMMJOW!" most of the people in the living room said as he walked into the kitchen behind Ichigo.

"What's he doing here Ichigo!" Renji asked as he picked up the fork he dropped from surprise.

"He came over to visit last night."

"When?" Rukia asked.

She wasn't shocked like Renji, just a little caught off guard.

"When you guys went to bed." Ichigo said as he poured a glass of milk.

He nonchalantly offered Grimmjow a drink as he ignored the sparks flying from the shock emanating from the living room.

"Aw! He came to see you Kurosaki-kun! How sweet of him!" Inoue declared.

""Came to see him?" "Sweet!" Ichigo, what the hell is going on!" Renji shouted.

"Me and Grimmjow are together. Please stay calm okay? I don't need my dad coming down here." He replied honestly, handing Grimmjow a plate of food.

"What? When did this happen!" Renji said as he stood and made his way into the kitchen.

"Renji, don't." Rukia said as she grabbed his arm before he could reach Grimmjow.

"Abarai-kun! Please calm down!" Inoue said as she stood from her seat on the couch.

"Hey, uh, Renji. Please calm down. Grimmjow isn't an enemy. He's a friend." Ichigo said as he stood in front of said man.

"Yeah! Well he's got a funny way of showing it!"

"Hey Red, take a chill pill before you start something you can't finish." Grimmjow said as he moved Ichigo aside.

"Jaegerjaques-kun, don't fight with Abarai-kun!" Inoue said as she walked into the kitchen, followed by Ishida and Chad.

"Renji, can't you see that Grimmjow is a friend? This is Ichigo's decision. If they are together, then you just need to accept him. Or at least their relationship." Rukia said calmly.

"I'm outta here!" Renji said as he moved through everyone behind him.

"Renji!" Rukia ran after him.

"I'll be right back Grimm. Go on up to my room, I'll be back soon." Ichigo said as he followed after Rukia and Renji.

"Yeah."

* * *

"Renji!" Rukia called.

It was slightly damp outside after last night's rain. Renji turned on his heels to face her on the sidewalk.

"What Rukia?" he answered.

"Why are you so upset about this?"

"Why  _aren't_  you? Did you already know?"

"Yes, but that isn't important. Why won't you accept this? Don't you want Ichigo to be happy?"

"Why didn't he tell me? Are we not close like we used to be?"

"He didn't tell you because he knew you'd act like this. You can be so stubborn and brash sometimes Renji! It isn't that big a deal."

Ichigo had chased Rukia until he saw her round a corner and stop. He knew Renji would talk to her. But he still needed to talk to him himself.

"Renji…"

"Ichigo…" Rukia said, stepping aside so he could have a full view of the red-head.

"Renji, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about me and Grimmjow. I was going to, I just couldn't find the right time…"

"Renji. Please don't hold anything against him. I'm going back to Ichigo's house." Rukia said as she took her leave, "I hope you two can manage a simple apology."

Once Rukia had rounded the corner, Renji spoke.

"Ichigo, you're my best friend. Of course I'm gonna be pissed if you hide something like that from me,  _especially_ if it involves Jaegerjaques."

"I'm sorry I hid it from you. But I knew you'd blow it out of proportion when I told you. I wasn't thinking this morning when we walked downstairs." He sighed after he finished, remembering what had just transpired.

"So. You and Jaegerjaques huh? That's kind of surprising. From what I've seen, all you two do is fight and argue."

"Yeah. But, he isn't so bad you know. He treats me right Renji."

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"How long have you two been together?" he clarified.

"That's…a complicated question. We've been exclusive for about a week now, but we didn't initiate our relationship until last night."

"Hm. Well, I guess all I can do is wish you luck Ichigo. Let me know if that bastard puts his hands on you or betrays you, alright?"

"Yeah. But I know him, he wouldn't intentionally hurt me."

"I hope he knows that." Renji smiled.

"You wanna come back with me?"

"Sure thing, Ichigo."

* * *

Somehow, everybody was expecting Renji's explosion this morning. The whole soccer ball to the head hadn't blown over easily with him. For some reason, Grimmjow unsettled the red-head. Maybe it was because of his unwelcoming appearance or the way he easily grabbed Ichigo's attention whenever he showed his sadistic face.

"Abarai sure is a handful." Ishida said, adjusting his glasses.

"He was so upset. I hope he and Kurosaki-kun won't be angry at each other over this." Inoue looked quite disturbed by their earlier exchange.

"Don't worry Inoue. If I know those two, they'll be back at each others' necks by the end of the day." Chad reassured her.

Just then, Grimmjow marched down the stairs into the kitchen. Chad and Ishida both looked his way. He washed off his dishes and placed them in the sink. As he looked in their direction, he was met with an uneasy Inoue.

"What do you want?" he asked calmly. It was important to Kurosaki that he at least try to treat his friends with respect if he wanted things to flow smoother for them.

"Are you okay Jaegerjaques-kun?" she asked, about as serious as he had seen her since their talk about Kurosaki.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said dryly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Oh goody!" she clapped happily. "Kurosaki-kun really likes you. Please make an effort to get to know us too." She smiled genuinely.

This girl was weird. One second, she was serious, the next, she was happy and bubbly. Maybe that's why Kurosaki was friends with her. It's not like he had ever been bubbly in any sense. There was definitely strength in this girl though. Maybe not in any physical sense, but below the surface, her conviction matched Kurosaki's. He noticed that when he had seen her in Hueco Mundo. All the tension and resentment that floated around that place seemed to go right over her head as she stayed composed through it all. Especially with her emotionless tour guide, Ulquiorra.

"Jaegerjaques-kun?"

"Oh. Thanks, uh, Inoue. I will." He said simply.

"That's great!" she said as she went to take her seat on the couch again.

* * *

When Ichigo arrived home with Renji, he was surprised to say the least. Sitting on the couch in the living room, Ishida, Inoue, Chad, Rukia, and Grimmjow were all tuned intently in to a movie. However, when their presence was made known with a thunderous grunt by Renji.

"Kurosaki-kun! Abarai-kun! It's good to see you!" Inoue chimed.

"Hey Inoue." Ichigo responded.

"Did you two manage to resolve your conflict?" Ishida asked, acknowledging the obvious elephant in the room.

"Yea, we-" Ichigo was cut off as Grimmjow took his hand and led him upstairs to his room.

Once the door was audibly closed, Ishida spoke again.

"How rude. Jaegerjaques-san is quite the obnoxious character." He commented as he un-paused the movie.

Approaching Renji, Rukia seemed quite happy about something.

"What?" he said, wishing she would quit with the large eyes already.

"I'm glad you made up with Ichigo. I have something I want to ask you."

"Have you finally realized that  _I'm_  the man for you and you wanna tell me you were a fool for ever liking that Kaien Shiba guy?" he asked assertively.

"Uh, no. Actually, I was going to invite you to a party at my place next week. Nii-sama is hosting it with a special guest of honor. I don't know his name, but he doesn't seem…well, I can't really put my finger on it, but I don't trust him one bit." She said as she held her chin trying to figure out the right words to use.

"A party at your place. You must mean a gala or ball." He corrected "Who else are you inviting?"

"I'm going to invite everyone. The five-six of you are all invited." She smiled.

"Six? Hm. Me, Ichigo, Chad, Ishida, Inoue, and…Grimmjow!"

"Yes. He  _is_  with Ichigo. I figured they'd have fun together." She was getting under Renji's skin and she knew it. The little troll, she always found some way to make him more pissed off. He loved her for it though.

But getting back to this party her brother was having. If it was hosted by Byakuya, chances are the main guests would be uptight and probably well over condescending. But if Rukia was inviting them, it was a chance he couldn't pass up. Besides, she would probably be seated with some old farts she didn't know if they didn't go. Either way, maybe they could all have some fun in the other parts of that immensely large mansion of hers.

"Sure, I'm game. Aren't you going to invite them?" he asked, motioning to the three on the couch.

"Yes. I was about to after Grimmjow left the room. He may be Ichigo's boyfriend, but I'm not too sure about asking him to a party. That'll be Ichigo's job." She said as she walked over to the couch and took her seat.

"Right." Was Renji's delayed response as he followed suit.

* * *

"I'm glad to see you were getting along with my friends so well." Ichigo said with a smile.

"Don't look so touched. I'm not interested in spending too much time around any of them. The big Mexican is too quiet, the four-eyed one is too cocky, the girl has a voice that makes me wanna blow my brains, the shorter girl is-"

"Okay! I get your point. But you don't know any of them like I do. They're all great people who have always stood by my side." He stopped him.

"Anyway, I'm gonna head out soon. Sorry I didn't get to repay your favor from earlier. You just need to take a rain check for now." Showing off his pearly whites with a smirk, Grimmjow strutted over to the window.

"Sure thing." Ichigo blushed "I'll see you around Grimmjow."

"Catch ya later Kurosaki." He said as he slipped out the window.

Flopping face down on his bed, Ichigo sighed heavily. This was much more than he was expecting. Grimmjow was a handful on his best day. Thankfully he managed to reconcile with Renji about the whole altercation this morning. It was mainly between Grimmjow and his overly dramatic red-head. Those two would probably get along well when he really considered all they had in common. They were both athletic, liked working out, had quick tempers, and stood out from the crowd. He shared a few of those characteristics himself, but those two were so much alike it made him want to barf. He had gotten over Renji for the most part. Grimmjow had unknowingly helped him get over that crush.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"It's open, come on in!"

About two minutes had passed and he didn't hear the door open. He lifted his head to repeat himself and quickly jumped back. Rukia had quietly entered the room and was currently inches from him.

"We need to talk." She said with the same look she had given Renji earlier.


	6. Another Starry Sky to Light the Universe

Why had he agreed to this? Ichigo hated dressing formally. It made him feel awkward and out of place. He couldn't imagine why or how some people could dress like this every day. It was  _so_  uncomfortable. Standing outside in front of his clinic, he had been waiting for Rukia's limousine to arrive. Apparently, his house would be the last stop her driver made before returning to her mansion.

"Kurosaki, I don't want to do this."

Turning his head to the doorway, Ichigo was surprised to see that Grimmjow looked really stunning in formal attire. He wore a light cream-colored tuxedo, with a black shirt and a blue tie. His suit fit him perfectly. It moved with his body, only showing off his built frame to an appropriate level. It was hard enough to get a good look at them as he was, but he kept fidgeting with his belt, making it even tougher to see them clearly.

"Stop it. If you move around too much you're going to wrinkle your suit." Ichigo said as he stepped to him and adjusted the cursed belt himself.

"I like it when you put your hands there Kurosaki. Drop 'em a little lower for me would ya?"

"Ugh. Shut up Grimmjow!" Ichigo was flustered at this point.

His own suit was a darker grayish color, with a white shirt and red tie. His suit wasn't as tight fitting as Grimmjow's, but it definitely moved with his curves. The only real thing you could define assuredly was his butt. The rest of the suit was more subtle as it flowed with his form. This was ridiculous to say the least.

Just then, a white stretch limousine pulled up in front of the two. The time was about seven fifteen, give or take a few minutes, now and Ichigo was glad to get finally be able to get off of his feet in these awkward shoes. When Renji's head popped out from the sun roof, he frowned. How could he think a bandana was formal? The worst part was the sunglasses he had resting right on top of the bandana. Honestly, the things he did to look cool. Sunglasses weren't supposed to be worn at night, even if they were on your head. They were supposed to block the sun, hence the name  _sun_ glasses.

"Yo Ichigo!" he called.

"Hey Renji. Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"You noticed huh? I just bought 'em earlier today. Cool huh?" he asked. Apparently, he honestly didn't get why he was being asked that question in the first place.

The door opened and he stepped in with Grimmjow following right after. When the door closed, the driver began pulling away. He could see Renji's full attire along with everyone else's.

When he came back down into the car, Ichigo noticed his suit in its entirety. It was a dark red and it looked very fancy. His shirt was black, and it seemed that he had foregone wearing a tie. Actually, the top two buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing his chest tattoos and tanned skin. Nothing was Renji-originated without that damned headband and a pair of boots. Why he wore boots, he would never know. Somehow, it was weird if Renji's outfits (besides the school uniform) didn't consist of a pair.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue chirped from the frontward end of the limo. She looked quite stunning to say the least. She wore a black dress with a black scarf wrapped delicately around her neck. The dress was spaghetti strapped with white flower stitching all over. They subtly glimmered in the light and were hard to notice at first glance. She had even gone so far as to show a little cleavage, but not too much to get anyone going. None the less, there was a hint of it that just screamed her personality. Her outfit was completed by her hair that flowed perfectly over her shoulders in the new curly fashion she had discovered.

"Hey Inoue. Glad to see you" he replied.

"Kurosaki, you sure are a sight tonight." Ishida said contemptuously.

"Ishida, your comment isn't even worth justifying with a response." Ichigo grinned, mocking his superior attitude blatantly.

Ishida did look rather lavished tonight. His suit was white and seemed to flaunt his father's money successfully. His shirt was light blue and held firmly around his neck with a gray tie. His father must have spared no expense for this occasion. Byakuya's parties were usually the talk of the town, or the town's older, mature crowds. Usually, only big-shot men and their stuck up wives were invited. Ishida must have been a representation of his family name in his father's absence. The poor guy. He must have had to attend more of these events than any of them combined.

Rukia was another person who probably attended more formal events than they had as well. She didn't attend them all, but she did claim that she would appear during one for at least ten minutes. Usually she hung around in her massive room while her brother put on these events. Looking in her direction, he noticed that she too looked like she was playing an important role in tonight's event. She wore a violet dress that was sprinkled in sparkles. Only a few of them were reflective because of the angle she was sitting at under the moonlit vehicle due to Renji carelessly leaving the sun roof open. She wore diamond earrings and a diamond bracelet to complete the piece. She looked as dazzling as Inoue.

Finally, his gaze landed on Chad. He looked nice tonight as well. He wore a darker gray suit than his own with a dark green shirt underneath. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top as well. He too had foregone the use of a tie in his apparel. However, he still managed to look formal despite it. His necklace from his grandfather hung around his neck, proudly visible to everyone. He was wearing a dark pair of shoes, or boots, it was unclear because the toes were rounded faintly.

They had all managed to look their best for this party. Hopefully Byakuya and his other guests wouldn't put their efforts to shame tonight. That would be just awful, and somehow, he knew Byakuya would never let Rukia live it down.

The car ride was a decent length, allowing him enough time to look up at the moon and the thousands of stars as they pulled into the darker neighborhood Rukia lived in. There were mansions in this part of town, meaning the yards were acres of land apart. Less light was gathered in one area, making him happy he could see more stars than usual. Grimmjow lived closer to the outer part of this area, meaning he lived closer to him than Rukia did, but that was still about a twenty minute drive, and forty-five minute walk.

Upon arrival, the limousine pulled around the driveway and stopped in front of the front door. As they exited, each made their way into the house.

"This way to the dining hall." Rukia's voice echoed from the hallway as she waited for the last of her friends to enter the house.

"This better be worth it." Grimmjow growled into Ichigo's ear. The two had fallen significantly behind the others as they followed Rukia's lead.

"Just relax and have fun. And don't do anything to make Rukia regret letting me invite you here." He responded in a way that made Grimmjow even more dissatisfied.

"Look here Kurosaki, I aint a fucking-"

"Oh wow!" Inoue called from the end of the hallway. "Kurosaki-kun, hurry and see this place! It's beautiful!"

Ichigo hurried to Inoue and they rounded the corner together while Grimmjow took his sweet time getting there. He wasn't about to let Kurosaki treat him like he was a child.

Rounding the corner, he was taken by surprise. The dining hall was really a dining  _hall_. The thing was huge! What could that girl's brother do that allowed for this large of a house? Its size alone slightly intimidated him. His house was big, but it was nothing compared to this. His gaze moved from the ceiling and the decorations of the hall to the tables where he spotted Kurosaki and his friends. They sat in no particular order. Four-eyes sat next to the big guy, that red-head Renji sat next to him, followed by the small chick, then the red-headed girl Inoue, then finally Kurosaki. There was an empty seat next to him. Looking around, he noticed the number of seats per table varied. Maybe the guest list was exclusive and each guest (or little sister) had given the exact number of people they would be bringing.

"Grimmjow, sit down already!" Ichigo yelled in the lowest voice he could manage.

"Yeah yeah."

When he pulled his chair, he saw that his full name was printed on a card. He had been wrong before. They were sitting in an arranged order after all. This was some fancy fucking party.

"Oh my, I feel slightly underdressed." Inoue said self-consciously as she noticed the fancy gowns many of the women were wearing.

"Inoue, those are older women. We aren't expected to dress that maturely." Rukia corrected. "We're teenagers, not adults. We're fine." She ended with a smile.

"Still, it seems like we stick out like sore thumbs in here. We're so young compared to everyone else." Ishida commented.

"All of the guests haven't arrived. Some of them have children younger than us. Please enjoy yourselves. I didn't invite you all here for you to worry so much." Rukia spoke calmly. She was probably used to this.

As the rest of the guests arrived, and the performances began, something became obvious.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue whispered in the dimmed light.

"Hm?" he responded as he took his eyes off of the pianist performing in the spotlight.

"You haven't said a word to Jaegerjaques-kun since he sat down. Is everything okay?" she whispered even lower than before.

"Oh, I've been paying too much attention to the performances. I can see Grimmjow anytime; this comes first for now." He smiled.

"Oh. That makes sense." She ended. Both turned their attention back to the very skilled pianist.

While everyone's attention was averted, waiters and waitresses filled the room and gave out the food and drinks.

Immediately after they began eating, Ichigo noticed that Grimmjow had begun eating his dinner with his salad fork.

"Grimmjow, that's your salad fork…"

"I don't give a damn. I'll eat with whatever fork I want to." He retorted angrily.

"Fine. Do what you want." Ichigo calmly resumed eating his food.

"I was gonna do that anyway."

After about three more performances the spotlight flocked to the doorway that led to the outside terrace. Byakuya soon entered beneath it and was met with applause. Walking over to the microphone, he spoke calmly into it.

"I would like to thank everyone who came to attend this event. But most importantly, I would like to thank my honored guest, Mr. Sosuke Aizen." As he finished, the spotlight was shined on a table across the room where the other stood. The audience applauded for him.

The man was undoubtedly handsome, but his gaze seemed piercing, calculating, and cold. As Ichigo looked to Inoue, he saw the smallest shiver flow through her form. As quickly as he noticed it, it had vanished. Wasn't Aizen the one who was principal of Hueco Mundo? Looking to Grimmjow to ask, he noticed the look of anger and defiance his blue eyes sent towards the highlighted form across the room.

"Grimmjow? Are you okay?"

When he got no response, he turned back to Aizen. As the man made his way up to Byakuya, Ichigo noticed that his eyes momentarily meet with Grimmjow's, and then they flocked to Inoue, and finally, the man's eyes met his own. Even though he was across the room from him, he could tell that those eyes were cold. It was as though he was calculating him as they bore into his soul. What was this man? Was he a demon? Through that one experience, he imagined that the man could rip through the heavens and turn them sinister if he truly wanted to.

Not willing to be held in the man's clutches in such a manner any longer, he tore his eyes away and looked downward to his own hands. They were clammy and shivering in his lap. He felt somehow violated, as though the man had taken his self control. How could one gaze do that? Why was this man here? What was going on?

Now Ichigo understood what Rukia was talking about when she had invited him. This man was death incognito.

"Inoue. Inoue?" he called, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh! K-kurosaki-kun? I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Are you all right?" she asked.

So she had felt it too. It was like a trance to him really. He could see the moment of his own death in that man's paralyzing gaze. He could only hope that Inoue hadn't experienced anything like that.

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

"I-I don't know. I always feel as though I'm frozen in time or something when that man looks at me. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking things… Yeah, that must be it. Don't mind me." she was fooling no one with her façade. She was obviously on the same page with him. At least she hadn't said she had seen her own death though.

Aizen took the microphone and spoke.

"Thank you Byakuya."

"How rude," Rukia commented, "No respect for my brother."

"I just want to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate the establishment of my corporate headquarters, Los Noches." He said without emotion. However, the audience clapped without giving his unappreciative attitude a second thought.

"Rukia. What is  _Los Noches_?" Ichigo asked, successfully keeping his voice low enough to avoid any unwanted attention from the people seated at the other tables.

"I-I don't know. It must be Aizen's  _own_  headquarters though because I've never heard Nii-sama mention it before." She answered.

"Maybe you should ask him after the party." Ishida advised.

"Yeah. This is not like Nii-sama at all…"

"It'll be okay Rukia." Renji assured.

"Thanks. Let's just enjoy the rest of the party."

Grimmjow stood abruptly and walked towards the hallway he had entered through.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo called, "Hey guys, I gotta go and catch him. Excuse me."

As they gave him understanding looks, he made his way in the direction Grimmjow was headed.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo had followed him outside and it appeared that Grimmjow had no intention of returning to the party. "Wait! Please?"

Turning around, Grimmjow finally acknowledged him.

"Look, I ain't in a celebrating mood,  _especially_  not for that rat bastard Aizen."

"Let's go somewhere private so we can talk. Please?"

"Whatever."

He led the fuming blunette back into the house and upstairs. Once they entered a room, that Grimmjow figured was for that Rukia girl, they exited to the balcony connected to her room into the night's embrace again.

"Why did you make that whole trip if we were just gonna end up outside again?"

"I like it up here. It feels good, and I can see the moon clearly above the trees."

The night was calm. It was a moderate temperature to say the least. There were a few clouds, but nothing that obstructed Ichigo's complete view of the beautiful sky. The night was magical, enchanting, and unpredictable. The reason that he brought Grimmjow here was because he wanted him to take the time to enjoy the night for what it was, and not just time to fuck or whatever he did to distract him from its splendor.

"What do you know about him? That Aizen guy…"

"He's no good Kurosaki. You need to keep your distance from him, always."

"From just looking into his eyes, I felt like I was helpless and vulnerable."

"That's stupid. You make it seem like you can tell everything about people by just looking into their eyes." Grimmjow snidely responded.

"I can. You for example, I can tell a lot about you from your eyes."

"No you can't." Grimmjow retorted as he looked up into the sky. There was nothing but stars as far as he could see.

"You are reckless. Your eyes burn with anger, malice, and lust, but I can see deeper than that. Inside, you just want acknowledgement, respect, and acceptance from everybody around you. You want people to stop looking down on you, and treat you like a king. I like your eyes Grimmjow. They're as predictable, yet unpredictable, as the sky. I don't know what to expect sometimes. You can be hurtful, but then you turn around and do something unexpectedly cool. That's just my opinion though."

"…"

"I can treat you like the king you are Grimmjow. Don't push me away." he said, stepping closer to him.

Somewhere in the midst of his theoretical speech, Grimmjow felt like Kurosaki had pinpointed him to the depths of his being. How could he be so dead on just by looking into his eyes? That wasn't something that everyone could just do so easily, but Kurosaki had done it like it was child's play.

"Kurosaki, you say the weirdest things sometimes."

"What can you tell about me from my eyes? Do you like them?" he asked impatiently.

"I hate your eyes."

"W-what?"

"I said I fucking hate your eyes. There's so much defiance and passion in them. I can't read you as easily as you can read me, but I know that deep inside, you just want to protect. I guess your family and those weirdoes you call friends. You're so challenging sometimes, but then again, that's how I like it."

"You sure are a people pleaser." Ichigo said, letting sarcasm drip from every syllable he spoke.

"I know. You like it."

"I forgot to mention your  _morbidly obese_  ego and constant air of overconfidence." He added, rolling his eyes.

"Look at me Kurosaki."

Doing as he was told, Ichigo turned his head to look him directly in the eyes. The moment was intoxicating. All he could do was swim through those blue oceans as he stared into them. No matter how much hate and anger resided in those eyes, he always found himself falling prey to their calming spell. No one had ever made him feel this way, and he was going to cherish every second of it.

Why was Kurosaki so damned easy to look at? When Grimmjow looked into those brown eyes, he felt like he was losing himself to them. All of his anger was vanquished when he stared intently into Kurosaki's eyes. He felt like he was being pulled into some inner sanctuary by him. Then it dawned on him. Kurosaki didn't want to see him hurting. He didn't want him to let his pent up anger consume him. He was slowly trying to free him from it. Good luck with that. But somewhere deep inside, he knew he would let Kurosaki in. He would allow the boy to give him everything he wanted, no, everything  _they_  wanted.

"Kiss me Grimmjow."

Not missing a beat, Grimmjow leaned down to Ichigo's level and kissed him. It had to have been their most blissful one yet. The moon was the only light they had, but it was all they needed. It lit the dark sky more than it had any other night of the year. Their moment was not wasted; there was never a wasted moment when they were together really. Ichigo immediately lifted his hands to run them through the sea of blue locks he knew as Grimmjow's hair. When he felt the other man wrap his arms around his waist, he blushed, then began massaging his scalp. Grimmjow was caught off guard by this, letting a small purr escape his throat. He had never admitted it to anyone, but he could not resist the urge to purr like a cat when his hair or scalp was massaged the right way. Kurosaki now knew a secret about him that not many people knew.

Ichigo couldn't hold the kiss for long due to his uncontrollable giggling.

"Grimmjow, you purr like a cat when I run my fingers through your hair." He laughed.

"Shut your face. If you ever tell anyone about this-"

"I won't. I swear. It's our little secret." he smiled.

"Let's go back to my place Kurosaki."

"How? We came here in a limo…"

"We can fucking walk. Lazy ass…"

"Whatever. Let's just go."

* * *

This was not a good idea. Walking to Grimmjow's house was much tougher than he thought it would be, and it was definitely a lot longer than fifteen minutes. It was warm outside, and the two were in suits. It was also quite a workout for him, having to walk up and down the cursed hills of the neighborhood. However, Grimmjow seemed fine. He must have a training room or something with a treadmill in his house. As they climbed the hills, he even sprinted to the top, and laughed at Ichigo for looking like he was going to collapse when he finally caught up to him. This was quite unpleasant to say the least.

"Almost there pansy." Grimmjow laughed hysterically.

"Shut…the hell…up…Grimmjow!" he retorted breathlessly.

After letting gravity guide him down the last hill, he smiled as Grimmjow's  _flat_  street came into his view. Well, as long as this was the last bit of walking he would have to do tonight, he could manage a quick run.

"Catch me if you can Grimmjow!" he shouted as he ran by him. This would be easy.

"Hmph!" Grimmjow grunted as he bolted forward.

"N-no way!" Ichigo yelled as Grimmjow took the lead again.

By the time he reached the front door, Grimmjow was already unlocking it. This was just not fair. How could he be so fast and have so much endurance?

"Grimmjow…what on earth are you?" he panted heavily.

"I've been playing soccer since I was four years old kid. That was nothing."

There it was again. That overconfident attitude of his was suffocating sometimes. Then again, he had just proved that it was perfectly reasonable for him to have it. Still, he didn't have to go waving it around in everybody's faces like a winning lottery ticket.

"Kurosaki, you coming in?"

"Oh, y-yeah."

The house was quiet. It seemed a lot smaller compared to Rukia's now. It was still a mansion, even if her brother just happened to have a larger one. It was cold too. For some reason, many people, especially the ones with larger houses, kept their homes at a cooler temperature. The last time that he had come, it wasn't this cold though. Maybe because everyone else was asleep, they wanted to feel comfortable under their covers, not to mention the fact that it was warm outside.

Not a word was spoken between the two until they reached Grimmjow's room and the door was firmly closed.

"Grimmjow, it's freezing in here! Can you close the vents or something?"

"Pansy."

"Ugh! Shut up! I just don't want to freeze my balls off in your house!"

That perked Grimmjow's attention as soon as it reached his ears.

"Oh? We can't have that now can we?" he said as he closed the vents.

"Wh-what are you doing!" Ichigo asked as he watched him turn off the lights and open the blinds to let in the moonlight.

"What does it look like?" he said smoothly as he stalked back over to him and stood directly in front of him.

"Gr-grimmjow, I-"

"I've heard enough talking for now. Come here." he interrupted as he led him to the bed.

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he watched Grimmjow start removing his suit. Each and every layer of that suit being removed had him feeling a rise in his pants.

"Are you gonna stay in that suit all night Kurosaki?"

Blushing madly, he shook his head and began imitating Grimmjow's movements. He was met with a surprising sight when he gazed up from undoing his last button. Grimmjow stood a few inches away, shirtless, and he was working on removing his bottoms as well.

"G-grimmjow! W-what are you doing!" he exclaimed.

Choosing not to respond to his stupid question, he leaned over him on the bed and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Honestly, he asked the most irrelevant questions sometimes.

"Kurosaki." He said, deeply taking in his smell.

"Y-yeah?" he replied heatedly.

"Do you want to…you know?" Grimmjow's eyes were more lustful than he had ever seen before.

"I-I- don't-"

"If you aint ready, it's okay. I can wait." he said sincerely.

"R-really?"

"Yeah. It's all right."

"Grimm, I…I really want to. I'm just…I've never done that before."

"You're a virgin? That explains a lot." He laughed.

"Whatever decency you had flew out the window just now." Ichigo said irritably.

"Sorry." He said, stifling his laughter.

Ichigo simply shook his head at this display of childishness about such a serious matter.

"Well, I can do this then."

"What-ooh!"

Grimmjow placed little kisses down his body, getting closer and closer to his private area. He looked up to Ichigo through half-lidded eyes for consent. After seeing no signs of hesitation or worry, he placed his fingers on the waistband and pulled it down slowly, revealing the boy's hardened member. He looked it over for a moment, and then engulfed it whole.

Kurosaki moaned so wonderfully. As Grimmjow moved his mouth up and down his length, he enjoyed every sound he made. He bobbed his head down to the base so far his nose was buried in the forest of orange pubic hairs. They smelled faintly of strawberries. What was Kurosaki's obsession with smelling like a strawberry patch? No matter what the reason, at least he smelled pleasant. Then, he remembered what Kurosaki had done to him earlier. A move he wouldn't see coming. Grimmjow began sucking him like a straw to help him reach his climax. After about a minute of his ministrations, Ichigo came with a loud moan.

"That didn't take long." He snickered, stretching himself out next to the panting orange-head.

"Shut up!"

"Get some sleep Kurosaki." Grimmjow said, running his fingers through his orange spikes.

"Wait, not until I return the favor. Let's see how long  _you_  last." Said orange head replied confidently.

Neither noticed the vibrating of Grimmjow's phone. He had received a call from someone he never wanted to hear from again.


	7. Spies

"Senna!"

"Yup. The one and only!" she giggled.

"W-wha? When?"

"Ichigo, I see you haven't changed one bit." She said with a smile.

"When did you come back?" he asked.

"Last week. Wait, what's today?"

"Today is Wednesday."

"Then yea, it was exactly a week ago."

Senna. A fiery, stubborn, friendly, and loyal girl had been friends with Ichigo during their freshmen year together. Her father had taken her away with him when he moved to Hiroshima. It had been 3 long years since he'd seen her, and their goodbye was nothing short of abrupt. Now, she was back. Things were more different now than they had been before. They had both probably undergone drastic changes, but somehow, he figured that his metamorphosis would surprise her more than anything she could have to tell him.

Currently, the two stood in the front office. Ichigo had lied again to get out of class to find Grimmjow, again. Senna was waiting patiently to receive her schedule. Apparently, the secretary, Nanao, was out at a brunch. Most people, if not everybody, knew that was just an excuse so she could go and see the Cinema teacher, Mr. Shunsui.

"So what's been up Ichigo? How are you?"

"I'm good. So is everyone else." He replied.

"That's good. What about Rukia? Are you two finally going out?"

If he had been drinking something, it would most certainly be all over her right now. Nothing could be further from the truth than that. Why anybody in their right mind would think he and Rukia would ever be anything more than friendly was beyond him. She was way too much like a little sister to him to even register the idea that they could ever go out. The mere thought made his stomach turn.

"No! Why does everybody think that!" he asked noisily.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because you two are  _always_  together." She said, leaning on the front desk.

"Well, we aren't going out. Never have been, and never will be." He ended flatly.

"Okay. What about Inoue? Has she told you about her feelings for you? I hope she doesn't think it isn't obvious." She giggiled.

"We'll discuss my personal life another time Senna. When the lunch bell rings, find me on the other side of the school near the tennis courts out in the field." He said, taking his leave from the office. Grimmjow never went to the principal's office when he was told to. Why had he even though that he would start today?

"All right then! Bye Ichigo!" she called.

* * *

Their second period teacher must have been too tired to dish out a real assignment today because the one they had been given was truly child's play. As soon as the bell rang, the papers were on their way from the first seat to the last seat on each row. When Ichigo got a copy, he almost laughed.

These packets were nothing more than vocabulary sheets, crossword puzzles, and word searches. Honestly, the teacher had to be taking a personal day in the classroom. However, the quicker he finished, the more socializing time he'd have.

"Um, you all can work in groups if you'd like." she commented before lying her head down.

"Rukia, work with me." Renji commanded.

"I'll work with whoever I want to." She retorted.

Ishida had made his way to the back and took his seat in an open desk. He had already blazed halfway through the assignment. Soon everyone was together in a circle of desks; everyone but Inoue. Ichigo looked to the front of the class where she was stationed with that Chizuru girl, Tatsuki, and the other girls she was acquainted with. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked back, smiled and waved happily from her seat.

"Ishida, give me some answers." Renji insisted.

"Abarai, honestly, if you can't get these answers on your own you should drop out now." He answered.

"Look, I'm lazy and I don't feel like doing this."

Ichigo averted his attention back to his own packet. It was pretty easy, so he was in no rush. He looked around the classroom and spotted that familiar blue hair that belonged to Grimmjow. However, this time he wasn't so happy to see him. Grimmjow hadn't been talking to him at all for a few days since the party. They had gotten so close since they got together, but now it just seemed like he didn't want to be bothered anymore. The thought made him frown.

"Ichigo." Rukia spoke softly.

"Huh?"

"I saw Senna today. I think she may be back in town." She tried.

A good effort, but he was still pretty depressed about his miscommunication with his boyfriend. Besides, he had already seen her today.

"Thanks Rukia. I invited her to hang out with us at lunch today." He responded.

"Cheer up okay Ichigo? There are lots of other things to be happy about. And we're all here for you."

"Yea…" he said, looking out the window. Today was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

When lunchtime arrived, Ichigo took his usual seat by the tree. Tatsuki, Michiru, and Chizuru were talking about some American child star that they didn't like. According to Tatsuki, he had  _unique_  hair and was probably a girl. He didn't catch the name of the kid though. He tuned in sometime around "Beaver" or something.

Inoue was currently trying to get Ishida to try a new dish she concocted, while Chad watched from a distance. He was probably trying to avoid becoming a guinea pig himself. Renji and Rukia were sitting quietly in the shade not too far off from everyone. Those two had been much closer lately he noticed. Finally, Keigo and Mizuiro were in the middle of an intense Pokemon battle on their DSs.

Where was Senna? Maybe she got lost or something.

Looking to the opposite field, Ichigo noticed Grimmjow talking to Stark. That upset him a little because lately, Grimmjow hadn't been completely out of contact with him. He hadn't even spoken to him when they were in class together. He really had no idea what to think. All he  _could_  think was that Stark was incredibly attractive…

No! That was no way to be thinking, especially not about Grimmjow. There's just no way he would do something like that to him.

"Ichigo! Hi there!"

Turning his attention away from the group across the field, Ichigo watched as Senna skipped her way over to him.

"Is that Senna?" Ishida asked.

"It is! I haven't seen her in so long!" Inoue smiled.

"Hey guys. It's been forever huh?" She giggled as she made her way past them to the orange haired boy.

"Hey Senna." Ichigo smiled warmly.

Said girl firmly plopped her bottom on the ground next to him and smiled even bigger.

"So, talk to me. What's been up since I've been gone?"

"Let's go talk over there." he pointed to a quieter spot.

"Sure!"

Looking across the field, Grimmjow noticed Kurosaki walking with some girl to an isolated area. Who was she? He had never seen her before.

"Grimmjow?" Stark waived his hand in front of his face. "Earth to Grimmjow."

"Huh? Oh. What?"

"You've been spacing out a lot lately." Ulquiorra commented.

"Probably cause that Kurosaki kid dumped him." Nnoitora laughed hysterically.

"Fuck off Nnoitora!" he yelled back.

"You two broke up, Grimmjow?" Stark asked.

"No. Don't fucking listen to that asshole. I just… I got a lot going on right now, and I don't want to drag him into it."

"So you're avoiding him?" Ulquiorra questioned.

"Call it what you want. I know what I'm doing." Grimmjow said, lying flat on his back in the grass.

* * *

"No way!" Senna screeched.

"Way. It's all true." Ichigo cringed as she squealed.

"You-you made out with Renji!"

"I told you much more than that Senna. That was a minor detail in the whole story."

"So, are you single? I can't think of any guys at this school you could date. Oh! Except that guy with the feathers on his eyelashes." She added.

"Yumichika! No way!"

"So, you  _are_  single then?"

"Nope. Look over there."

Senna turned her attention in the direction the boy motioned to. There was a group of six people sitting under the tree in the opposite field.

"Ichigo, what are you trying to showing me? Do you like one of them?"

"You see the one with the blue hair?"

"Yeah. He's pretty hot. Do you like him?" she asked.

"Not just like. We're dating."

"NO WAY!"

"Senna! Keep your voice down! You'll draw attention to us!"

"Sorry," she giggled, "That's just a little surprising."

"It shouldn't be. I'm a pretty hot guy myself."

Senna smiled warmly.

"But lately, he hasn't been talking to me. I don't know what to do, so I haven't done anything at all."

"Well it's obvious. You need to confront him. He shouldn't string you along if he doesn't want you."

That was absolutely true. He wouldn't do it to anyone, so he wasn't going to let it happen to himself. He had immediately made up his mind to face Grimmjow as soon as possible.

"Okay. I know what to do. Thanks for the advice Senna."

"Hey no biggie. You deserve someone great, not someone who's gonna hurt you Ichigo."

"…"

"Anyway, what's his name?"

"Grimmjow. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques."

"Hm. That's kinda catchy. I like it." She giggled, "What's his next class?"

"Um, P.E. I think…"

"Oh…"

"Anyway, let's get back to the others. Lunch will be over soon."

* * *

"Yo Grimmjow! I'm with Ulquiorra! You can play with Halibel!" Nnoitora yelled from across the tennis court.

"Yea yea! Halibel, let's go!" Grimmjow called to the girl's locker room.

Halibel made her way out and rolled up her P.E. uniform sleeves to form a sleeveless shirt. She eyed Nnoitora momentarily before grabbing her tennis racket and walking over to Grimmjow. Normally, she wouldn't be as motivated to take part in their little rivalry, but Nnoitora made a comment about female athletes that she just had to prove him wrong on.

"Grimmjow, it's quite likely we will be equally matched with Nnoitora." She commented.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you and he are both outgoing and formidable athletes, but on the contrary, Ulquiorra and I are more reserved and calculating. I'd say we've got a good chance of winning though." She answered, letting a small smile grace her lips.

"Hey! We ain't got but forty five more minutes! Let's get this thing started!" Nnoitora shouted from over the net.

"My serve!" Grimmjow yelled as he threw the ball upwards and sent it across the net.

Ichigo rounded the corner from the bathroom and spotted Miss Shihoin talking animatedly on her phone. He knew her through his father and Mr. Urahara, but he wasn't about to go up and start a conversation. He couldn't think of anything to talk about at school anyway. He heard a loud yell from the tennis courts and recognized the voice as Nnoitora's.

He shook his head and was about to take his leave, but spotted Senna standing behind the court gates. She was watching the class play tennis, more specifically, a certain group. Ichigo moved to see just who she was watching, and his heart rose when he saw Grimmjow make a complete save that Nnoitora couldn't counter.

"Yes! That totally rocked!" the girl shouted

Ichigo approached as Senna danced her familiar victory dance.

The moment he touched her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I-Ichigo! What are you doing here!"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Are you spying on Grimmjow?"

"I was just a little interested in seeing what he was like. He seems pretty extreme." She admitted.

Ichigo laughed before he commented. "That's a bit of an understatement."

"You would know." She giggled.

When Miss Shihoin blew her whistle, the two turned their attention back to the court.

The game appeared to be over now because the four were now depositing their rackets in the bin. No one looked as though they were overly upset though, which made Senna curious.

"That's odd. I can't tell who won." She said, holding her chin.

"Huh?" Ichigo was completely out of the loop Senna barely seemed to have slipped herself into.

"Your beau seemed pretty hyped up to beat that tall guy, but nobody is complaining or anything…"

He looked over to Grimmjow and the others, and she was right. It seemed like nobody was upset.

"Maybe they tied." He suggested.

When he looked back over to them, he noticed Grimmjow lifting his shirt to wipe his face. When it fell, he jumped when those sky blue eyes met his own. They stayed watching each other attentively for quite some until Senna waved her hands in his face, effectively breaking the trance.

"Are you okay Ichigo?"

"Y-yeah, I just spaced out for a minute."

"C'mon. Let's get going." She said before grabbing his arm and leading him away.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder to Grimmjow. He was standing with Halibel and Stark, talking almost excitedly with them. Then those blue eyes bolted to the brown ones that watched him for a brief moment before turning away again. It seemed as though their relationship was reaching a breaking point, but Ichigo was left wondering why.

* * *

Aizen sighed as he looked out his office window. Indeed, his headquarters was coming along well. That was not the issue. He was having trouble with one of his former employees. No matter what he did, he couldn't sway the man to come back and work for him. This was much more troublesome than he was expecting.

"Aizen-sama, I have returned." A man informed as he entered the office.

"Have you found anything  _interesting_  for me Kaname?" he spoke calmly.

"No. Not yet sir. I believe we are getting close though."

Aizen turned his attention away from him and back to the view of Karakura Town from his window. This was indeed more trouble than it was worth.

"I'd like you to keep up the search, and if you find anything useful to me, inform me immediately. While you're at it, I'd like for you to have the boy brought to me. I think it's time to end this cat and mouse charade. You're dismissed."

"Yes sir." The man said as he exited the office.

Aizen stood and walked over to his window to look out at the town again.

"This is  _my_  city." He smirked.

* * *

Seventh period was nearing an end, but the day had already been over after sixth period for Grimmjow. He had put a little too much effort into that match with Nnoitora, and now he just wanted the bell to ring so the day would officially be over. He put his head down on his desk and sighed heavily.

"Are you all right Grimmjow?" Stark asked.

Grimmjow lifted his head to see the clock on the wall before responding.

"I will be in a few minutes."

"You get lazier than him sometimes." Halibel commented, referring to Stark.

"Yea yea."

"Hey, I resent that. I'm not lazy, I just like being economic with my energy." Stark interrupted.

The teacher collected the classwork from each row before dismissing her students. Grimmjow was out of the classroom by the time his paper had left his hand. He stopped to buy a drink before making his way to the parking lot.

When he reached his car he unlocked it and tossed in his booksack, but before he could get in himself, something caught his eye. The reflection on his window took him by surprise, but he stood to his full height and turned around anyway.

" _Damnit all to hell!"_  He thought angrily.

"Grimmjow, it's time for you to stop running. We need to talk."


	8. Skeletons

Grimmjow stood to his full height and faced the person standing in front of him.

"Grimmjow, Aizen-sama has instructed me to bring you to him."

"Zommari. It's been a long time. Guess you're still packing away the carcasses for that bastard huh?" the bluenette spitefully remarked.

"Perhaps. But this isn't about me. I've been given strict orders to bring you to Aizen-sama's headquarters."

"Yeah, and what if I refuse?"

"I was hoping you would." He smirked.

Zommari immediately swung at Grimmjow, but missed. Grimmjow had ducked and swung his fist up, connecting with Zommair's chin and knocking him off his feet.

"I was always stronger than you Zommari. Those muscles you worked for were a wasted effort."

Zommari quickly pulled out a tranquilizer gun and successfully shot Grimmjow in the shoulder.

"That may be true, but you were never the brightest one were you? You're way too easy to outmaneuver." He smirked as he watched Grimmjow staggering on his feet.

"What the-what the hell did you do…to…me…?" Grimmjow asked, falling to the ground before everything went black.

Zommari stood, dusted himself off, and walked over to Grimmjow. He stared down at the boy for a moment before he picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. He walked over to the car and kicked the door shut before making his way out of the parking lot and to a tinted black car with the bluenette.

* * *

Ichigo walked calmly down the street with Renji. The tattooed redhead had been going on and on about how he was sure he would get a decent soccer scholarship if he used his free time to practice a little more. He enjoyed his friend's incessant ideas and rambling more than he could stand sometimes. He smiled as he looked over to him and was shot a very toothy grin. When they reached the clinic, however, Renji's mood seemed to drop by tenfold. There was nothing but silence between the two as they made their way up to Ichigo's room.

"Renji, um, are you okay?" Ichigo asked when the door closed.

"N-not really. I-I don't think I am. I'm…I'm confused…" he answered.

"Confused? Did Rukia shoot you mixed signals again?" Ichigo laughed.

"Ichigo I…I thought it was nothing…"

"You thought what was? What are you talking about Renji?" he was entirely confused at this point.

"At your party, when we…you know, made out."

"Oh. I'm not sure what to say. What do you mean?" he asked, sitting on his bed.

"I…I tried to forget about it. Really I did. But on two separate occasions, I had a dream about it."

"So? They were  _just_  dreams Renji. I'm sure they didn't mean anything." He assured.

"No. I know they did because both times when I woke up, I was sweaty and…and my boxers were wet."

"Oh…" he paused for a minute before continuing, "I'm-I'm not sure what that means. I mean, you've always liked girls. Trust me, I know. You hit on Rukia and Rangiku all the time." He offered.

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about that kiss. And lately…I've even noticed how attractive that prick Grimmjow is…"

"…"

Renji was a pitiful sight right now. He was clearly struggling with his sexuality, but Ichigo couldn't do anything to help him. This was a road he needed to travel alone. Maybe if he wasn't in a relationship, he'd be willing to help him experiment to find out what he was into. Unfortunately, he was; even if his boyfriend had been ignoring him lately.

"Renji, I-I wish I could help you, but there's nothing I can do. All I can do is be a friend and support you as you take this journey and figure out what you like and what you don't."

Ichigo stood and wrapped his arms around Renji tightly. He stood slightly on is tiptoes and placed his lips on his friend's tattooed forehead.

"Thanks Ichigo." Renji whispered. His emotions were getting the better of him so he resigned to speaking as little as possible.

"I'll always be here for you Renji. Anytime you need me."

"Can we keep this between us for now? I'm not ready to talk to anyone else about it yet."

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

Grimmjow woke up in a dark, cold room. He was strapped to a chair and he couldn't break free no matter how much he yanked his limbs. He glanced around to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before he started yanking his arms again.

"Damnit! I…can't-"

"Ah, greetings Grimmjow. I hope things have been well in your time away from me."

Grimmjow whirled his head around to find the place in which the voice was coming from, but he couldn't pinpoint an accurate location. Just then, the light flicked on and he could see the mastermind entering the room.

Aizen stopped in the center of the room and eyed Grimmjow coldly.

"My I've truly missed those eyes and dashing good looks of yours. And your defiance is just as strong and determined as it has always been." He smiled.

"…"

Aizen made his way over to Grimmjow and slowly reached out his hand to take the boy's face into his hand before smiling.

"I've truly missed your stunning good looks." He complimented again, leaning down to place a kiss on the boy's forehead.

"Keep your lifeless fucking hands off of me!" Grimmjow shouted.

This perked Aizen's interest even more. He let his hand roam down to Grimmjow's neck, briefly gripping it for a moment, before continuing downward. He enjoyed how the boy squirmed under his hand as he caressed his open chest. He then began unbuttoning the rest of his uniform shirt before continuing downward. When he reached the boy's crotch, he smiled again before squeezing lightly.

"I hope you haven't forgotten who owns you." He commented, moving closer to his face.

Grimmjow growled low in his throat before spitting in Aizen's face.

Aizen smiled and collected himself before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his face. After studying the contents for a moment, his eyes flashed back to Grimmjow. The slap echoed through the quiet office room before the next few sounded. Aizen ended his barrage by gently placing his hand around Grimmjow's neck again.

"The only reason you're alive is because I want you to be. Don't forget that my dear pawn." He smiled again while he tightened his grip.

Grimmjow felt he was going to pass out again, but before he could, Aizen released him.

"*Huff* *huff*"

"Now, let's get down to business shall we?" Aizen said, making his way over to his desk.

He sat in his chair and starred daggers through the panting boy before him. He pulled out an envelope and smiled again before speaking.

"You've been quite elusive in the past few months haven't you? But you didn't really think you could escape my eyes in my city did you? I guess I was entertained when you ran for freedom, but the game is over now."

"Fuck y-"

"Nobody leaves this business in one piece. I own you. You worked for me in the past, and you will continue to work for me until the day you die." He commented, glancing at the envelope in his hand.

"What makes you think that, shit-head?" Grimmjow countered.

"This is the only leash I need for you." He said as he pulled a few Polaroid pictures from the envelope.

He stood and dropped them one by one onto the desk in front of Grimmjow and smiled at the boy's shocked reaction.

"As you can see, I have all the leverage I need over you."

Grimmjow grew angrier and angrier as the contents of each were revealed to him. Each one contained a piece of his life in it, no matter how big, small, or annoying.

"Incredibly cliché, but appropriate I'd say." Aizen smirked, "This one has been documented as the most valuable to you." He added, pointing to the picture of the scowling boy.

"You sick twisted bastard!"

"The ball is in my court. To be frank, it never left my court. The same could be said about you, am I right?"

Grimmjow turned his head away and bit his lower lip violently.

"These would make a lovely addition to my ever growing collection." He commented before picking the photos and reading the text below them, "Ishida, Uryu. Yasutora Sado. Abarai, Renji. Kuchiki, Rukia. Inoue, Orihime. Oderschvank, Neliel Tu. And finally, Kurosaki, Ichigo."

Grimmjow cringed after the last name was read. He had tried his best to protect them,  _especially_  Kurosaki, but apparently his efforts were in vain.

"Their fates are in your hands Grimmjow. I know you'll come back and work for me again, won't you?" He finished, placing them one by one into the shredder, emphasizing his point.

* * *

After Ichigo had calmed the fretting Renji down, and the two played a few video games, Renji had decided to take his leave. When he made his way outside to see the redhead off, he noticed the sky was darkening in more ways than one. It was getting late, but it also looked like it was going to storm soon. He checked the clock on the wall when he went back inside. No wonder it was so dark outside, it was a quarter to nine and about to rain.

"Onii-chan, I'm starting dinner now, it will be ready soon. Sorry it's so late; I had a big test to study for." Yuzu spoke, her voice echoing from the kitchen.

"Hey, you want to watch some tv with me?" Karin asked when Ichigo passed by.

"Sure." He smiled, taking a seat on the couch beside her.

After watching about two episodes of iCarly, Yuzu called them to the kitchen. Ichigo took his seat and began eating.

"So my son, how goes that schoolwork of yours?" Ishiin asked while shooting him a grin.

"Fine I guess." Ichigo sighed.

Everyone could see that he was out of it lately. He wasn't having friends over as much, he hadn't been out lately, and he sulked around when he thought nobody was watching.

"Are you all right Onii-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay." He replied, standing from the table, "Thanks for the meal Yuzu."

"No problem." She said, slightly downcast that he had completely avoided telling them what was wrong with him.

Ichigo deposited his dishes into the sink after washing them off, and then made his way out of the kitchen.

"Feel better Ichigo." Karin said knowingly.

Ichigo eyed her for a moment before smiling and heading up to his room.

After plopping down on his bed, he figured he should be getting to sleep soon. Before he did, he grabbed his phone from under his pillow and flipped through his messages. There were quite a few. He had two from Ishida, one from Rukia, and scrolling down, his heart raced when he saw Grimmjow's name. Grimmjow had texted him after all this time.

Immediately, he opened it and read its contents:

" _Meet me in the park"_

It was short and simple, but it was all he needed right now. As soon as he read it, he jumped off of his bed and threw on a hooded jacket before dashing downstairs and out the door.

While making his way down the darkened streets, he could do nothing but wonder what could be going on. What could have made Grimmjow ignore him for so long and then suddenly want to see him again? It really felt like he was just using him for his body. What else could explain his behavior? He looked up to the mild gray sky for a moment before becoming slightly downcast. It seemed like the skies were always dark and gloomy nowadays. It was as if there was some cruel, looming force trying to keep them apart.

After rounding the last corner and entering the park, he made his way over to the swing his caller was currently sitting on. He stopped when he reached the side of the swing set, making sure not to block his view in the front, but also not to be out of his view by being behind him.

"What the hell Grimmjow? You ignore me for about a week, and then suddenly want to see me? I'm not some toy you can use and throw away when it's convenient for you."

Grimmjow looked up at the upset boy beside him. There wasn't much else to do but come clean to him. He needed to know the truth.

"Kurosaki, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Save me the explanation Grimmjow. I always knew you were no good… You warned me about this but I just didn't want to listen. I don't even know why I-"

"Shut your fucking mouth for once and listen to me!" he shouted, abruptly standing from the swing.

Ichigo was now silent, scared, and very confused. Grimmjow had never yelled at him like that before.

"You don't know anything okay! I wasn't ignoring you because I was tired of you, I was trying to fucking protect you and your damned friends!"

"Wh-what? Protect-"

"Yes! I…" he calmed himself to a more appropriate level, "I wasn't trying to fucking hurt you Kurosaki."

"Protect us from what?"

"…"

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Kurosaki, I've done some things I don't like talking about. When I…when I worked for Aizen, I can't say the things I did were admirable…"

"Wait, what? Y-you  _worked_  for Aizen?"

"Yea, but that was a long time ago. I was out of control then."

"… "

"I thought I could get out. I thought he wouldn't care if one of his lackeys went missing, but the rat bastard hunted me down. Now he wants me to come back and work for him. I can't refuse because he…he has leverage now…"

"Leverage? What kind of leverage?"

Grimmjow looked away from him, unable to keep eye contact.

"Grimm?"

"It's…it's you…"


	9. Why A Heart Beats

"Kurosaki, the reason I put some distance between us wasn't to hurt you, I did it because I didn't want Aizen knowing about you. I never wanted you to be involved in this." Grimmjow answered, now looking at the ground.

"…"

"If I don't do what he says, he'll come after my family, you, your friends, and even your family. I-I can't afford to turn him down."

Grimmjow's face was darkened by his own shadow. The sky was beginning to brighten behind him, making it harder for Ichigo to see his features. He then realized that he had barely seen the other's face at all the entire time. It was as though he was hiding it from him. Suddenly, the sky lit up in a fierce display of lighting, allowing him to see it clearly. He was shocked from the bruises it carried.

"Gr-grimmjow, what happened to your face? Did-did he do that to you?"

"This is nothing okay. Look, I need to get back to school. Come with me."

"Why? It's after nine o'clock. Besides, I-I need to clean you up a little."

"My car…urgh…is there." He groaned when the boy's hand touched his cheek.

"No, you need to-"

"I'm going Kurosaki!"

Why was he so damned stubborn all the time? This entire situation was dangerous territory, but he just couldn't abandon Grimmjow when he needed him the most. Giving into the bluenette's insistence, Ichigo led him out of the park and they slowly made their way to the school. Their walk was tense, silent, and slightly uncomfortable until Ichigo decided to mention the situation with a question.

"What was that?" Grimmjow asked angrily.

"I asked you why you would work for someone like Aizen. I mean, you're rich and all. You didn't need his money right?"

"My  _parents_  are rich Kurosaki, not me. My dad cut me off a long time ago. He didn't approve of my spending habits, so he stopped giving me money."

"Spending habits?"

"Fucking drugs and prostitutes!" he yelled.

If Ichigo didn't know any better, he would think Grimmjow was actually ashamed about that.

"Oh… So you went to Aizen to get those things?"

"I got paid regularly, so yea. I even a small cut of the drugs too, at a price…"

That last part was somewhat unexpected. However, it wasn't too surprising. Aizen looked quite manipulative and coldhearted. Still, what price did he have to pay?

Looking over to the nearly broken man walking beside him, he could take a good guess. The mere idea made him become increasingly upset, especially due to the state Grimmjow was in right now. That alone was all the motivation he needed to raise his next question.

"What price Grimmjow?"

"…"

"Answer my question."

"I-I did some favors for Aizen and some of his associates when instructed. Things I'm not proud of."

"…That's pretty vague. It really doesn't tell me anything."

" _Sexual_  favors okay! I was nothing but a damned sex toy when I wasn't out selling his fucking  _merchandise_. I got the money I needed by selling his shit and the drugs I wanted by sucking and fucking all right! Does  _that_  tell you something?" he spoke, anger evident in his voice.

"I-I didn't-"

"Yeah? Well now you know." He interrupted.

"Don't attack me Grimmjow!"

The bluenette looked away furiously. Ichigo did the same, now just as angry. Honestly! It wasn't his fault the things in his past happened. He had just met him this year for crying out loud! He reluctantly looked back at him again before sighing. This was definitely a handful.

After they rounded a corner, Grimmjow took a breath and spoke. "Look, I'm sorry Kurosaki. I…I just don't wanna talk about what happened in the past. Things were pretty shitty back then, but I've changed. I've even been clean for the past five months."

Ichigo looked at him calculatingly for a moment before he responded. "I-I believe you Grimmjow. You're not your past, and the future isn't written in stone. It's never too late to make a change. Or at least, that's what I believe." He smiled.

"I never meant for any of this to happen." Grimmjow sighed, looking downcast.

That was definitely an expression Ichigo wasn't used to seeing on the other's face. It truly didn't fit him at all. But if this was enough to bring someone like him down, then he could only guess that things must be pretty bad. The thought frightened him a little.

"We'll be okay Grimm. I promise." He tried, only earning a weary smile from the other.

When the two reached the school, Grimmjow quickened his pace to the student parking lot. When he arrived at the gate, he was relieved to see that his car was still intact. When Ichigo reached the parking lot, he walked through the gates and quickly made his way over to Grimmjow. He jumped when the bluenette suddenly became outraged.

"Fucking hell!" he shouted.

There were three problems with his car. One: he had received a ticket. Two: there was a dusty footprint on his door. And three: he couldn't remember where he had left his keys.

"FUUUCK!" he yelled at the sky.

"Grimmjow, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked.

"There's-he-I- FUCK FUCK FUUUCK!" he screamed again.

"What is it!"

Grimmjow calmed himself before speaking again. He had blown up on the other enough times for one day and he truly didn't deserve it. After all, none of this was Kurosaki's fault.

"I can't find my damned keys!" he pouted.

"Well let's try looking in and around the car." Ichigo suggested.

"Yeah." He answered, snatching the ticket from his windshield.

The two searched under the car, inside the car, and even over the fence behind the car, but couldn't find the keys. The two were currently sitting inside the car because the sky had decided to open up on them.

"Grimmjow, I'm sorry we couldn't find them."

"I just-oh wait!" he yelled, "I remember where they are now!"

He leaned over the seat and grabbed his book sack from the back before he started rummaging through it. After a few notebooks were tossed carelessly behind him, Grimmjow smiled widely as he withdrew the keys from the bag.

"Wow. I don't believe this. You mean to tell me we did all that looking for nothing?"

"Sorry 'bout that Kurosaki. Guess I just forgot I put 'em in my book sack earlier today." He smirked, sticking a key in the ignition.

"Way to waste a good ten minutes of my life." Ichigo retorted, pulling the seat belt over his frame.

"I thought you liked spending time with little ol me." His joke was met with a scowl, "And why are you wearing a seat belt? You don't trust my driving?" he asked after starting the car.

He seemed truly shocked that he had put on his seatbelt.

"Like hell I would! It's already raining and let's be frank, you switch lanes every five seconds!"

"Suit yourself." Grimmjow replied, speeding out of the parking lot.

After about two almost wrecks, Ichigo released his grip on his seat belt and looked out the sunroof. Maybe he'd be calmer if his eyes weren't on the road. The sky was quite dark tonight. It was raining heavily as well. The whole night was all a little too foreboding. When he considered all the facts he knew, it just seemed like they were in a bottomless pit. This Aizen guy seemed quite malevolent and heartless. No, not seemed, was  _definitely_ malevolent and heartless. How would they handle this? How  _could_  they handle it? It was safe to assume that if they ran, he would hunt them down; not to mention their families and friends he would most likely target as well.

He sighed inwardly thinking about how complicated this was going to be. If Aizen was a true drug lord, how would they reach him? He was bound to have more people like Grimmjow, if not stronger ones, protecting him. And you don't become a drug lord by being weak and helpless or doing things the legal way, so the guy must be pretty dangerous by himself. He chanced a glance at Grimmjow and noticed that he was unusually serious, even as he shifted gears and cut corners aggressively.

Somehow, he was comforted by his presence. It made him feel safe just like that night they had together before all this confusion. Maybe there was hope for them yet. With that in mind, he felt a little relief. By now they had entered the Grimmjow's neighborhood and turned down his street. He couldn't help but notice another car parked in the other's massive driveway when it came into view.

" _Maybe that's his father's car."_  He thought as they pulled into the garage.

Grimmjow put the car in park, and turned the key. Ichigo got out and followed him to the door, and then through the kitchen to his room. After closing the door and locking it, Grimmjow scratched his head roughly.

"Grimmjow, I've been thinking… If our families and friends are at risk-" Ichigo tried.

"There's no "if" Kurosaki. They're already targets. The only way Aizen will stop targeting them is if I go back and work for him."

"Then-then we'll just have to stop him ourselves!"

"No! You stay out of this. If he-if he were to get his hands on you…"

"I can't abandon you Grimmjow. I  _won't_  abandon you, especially not if I'm being targeted too."

"And you won't be doing that. Just forget about it for now. I can handle working for the bastard. After all, I'm standing here in front of you ain't I?"

"We'll figure something out. I know we will."

They both took a seat on the bed, letting the sounds of the storm outside fill their ears. After some time, Grimmjow fell onto his back; his body seemingly merging with the mattress. Ichigo looked over to him from his seated position against the wall. This was something he wasn't used to. Usually, their positions were reversed, and they were in his room. By the expression on his face, he could tell the other was in deep thought, which also wasn't something he was used to.

He smiled and sprawled himself out next to him. When he got no response, he slid his hand down to Grimmjow's and threaded their fingers together. Blue eyes glanced over to him for a moment, before looking back at the ceiling again. Ichigo sighed heavily.

"I'm gonna protect you Kurosaki. You and everybody else in our lives."

The statement made said orange head blush. His heart was racing and his stomach was doing turns now. He was scared. Of course he was scared. That didn't seem to be the cause of his sudden rush of emotions and rising body temperature though. Even after all the arguing the two had done today, he still felt deeply connected to the man beside him. He knew he could trust those words. More importantly, he knew he was falling in more ways than one for Grimmjow.

"I-I'll protect you too Grimm, in every way I can."

"…"

"Every hero needs saving from time to time." He smiled.

Grimmjow took Ichigo's hand and brought it up to his chest. He looked him in the eyes when the two surfaces touched.

"Do you feel that Kurosaki? I'm scared as hell right now. My heart feels like it's gonna jump out of my chest." He smirked, "But I'm sure about protecting you."

"Maybe…maybe that's not the only reason it's beating so fast…"

*Knock Knock*

"Grimmjow, open this door." A male's voice called from the hallway.

Grimmjow released his hand and sat up abruptly. "Kurosaki, get in the closet." he whispered.

"Wh-what? Why?"

"Just do it!" he whispered more forcefully.

Ichigo sat up and got off the bed quickly. He looked back at Grimmjow before promptly walking to the closet. After entering it, he pulled the door while holding the knob in place to avoid any noise. When the door met the frame, he released the knob.

He heard the bedroom door open and someone enter, while Grimmjow moved to sit on the bed. After a few seconds of silence, he could hear the conversation begin.

"Do you know why I'm here, in this hell hole you call a room?" the man, he assumed to be Grimmjow's father, spoke.

"No, I don't." he heard Grimmjow's familiar raspy voice respond.

"I was mailed a few things from your school yesterday. They suggested I deal with the problem immediately."

"Well? Are you gonna tell me what this is about?"

Suddenly, Ichigo heard the rustling of paper.

"This! Your transcript. It's much less than I expect from my son. All you have to focus on is school, because you're too lazy to work, so your grades should be more than what I'm seeing. And when I think about it, you  _aren't_ working, so how on earth can you afford to be going out all the time, or that expensive phone bill, or the flashy car? Where are you getting the money from?"

There was no response. Only a mild silence before the man spoke again.

"I do not approve of the way you've been acting at school or living your life Grimmjow." There was a brief pause before he began again, "I stopped giving you money because I did not approve of the things you were doing with it. It seems as though you've made progress to living a cleaner life when it comes to drugs, however…"

Ichigo could tell what was going to be said next.

"It is a sin to be  _bisexual_  Grimmjow. If you continue to make such a choice, you will burn in the depths of hell for all of eternity."

Ichigo clenched the hem of his shirt tightly with both hands. He wanted to burst out of his confinement and defend his boyfriend, but he couldn't gather his courage. Grimmjow didn't deserve to be talked to like this. Of course, he may be a jerk and quite insensitive sometimes, but deep down, he had a heart. Was this what he always had to deal with whenever his father was home? If so, no wonder he got all touchy that night in his room.

"Do you hear yourself when you say shit like that? You sound like a pathetic child! Maybe it's your choice to live your life fear-based and insecure, but I fucking won't! And it's not a fucking choice! I don't tell my dick what to like and what not to! I hate it when people like you talk about things they don't know anything about! For instance, did you know your little storybook says that a sin is a sin, and none are greater than the others? When you lie on your tax forms, or when you lie to Neliel about showing up at her school assemblies, it's just as bad as my  _choice_ , and they're both just as bad as a fucking murderer killing his next victim! So don't try preaching to me because you don't know anything at all!"

That outburst was completely unexpected. Ichigo didn't know Grimmjow knew so much. He had clearly done his homework, in a manner of speaking. He smiled at the silence of the room. That was something he loved about Grimmjow. He wasn't an easy person to show up or tear down. If you were going to challenge him, you'd best be ready for an all out war. That thought relieved him because maybe he could bring Aizen down from his high horse the same way.

Suddenly, he could hear hurried footsteps, and then the slamming of the bedroom door.

He waited a moment before slowly opening the closet door. He saw Grimmjow sitting on the edge of the bed, looking angrier than ever.

"Grimm?" he called lightly, making his way closer to him.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"You know me well enough by now to know my response to that." He smiled.

"Right"

"Anyway, I guess I should be getting you home soon. It is Thursday."

"Wait, but we still need to talk about what we're going to do about Aiz-"

"We can talk about that tomorrow when we have some free time after school."

"O-okay. Let's get going then. I'm kind of tired." He replied.

* * *

When the car came to a stop in front of the Kurosaki clinic, Ichigo broke the silence.

"Hey Grimmjow, I just want to say…I-I think what you said to your dad tonight was really…well cool." He flustered when the boy looked at him and raised a blue eyebrow, "I-I mean, it was very knowledgeable and mature! It may not have been the smartest move, but it needed to be said."

"Thanks? I don't really know what you want me to say to that Kurosaki."

"Ugh! Never mind!"

He opened the door and stepped out irritably. He quickly walked to his front door and unlocked it.

"Kurosaki!" Grimmjow called before he could open it.

"What?" he turned.

"Don't I get a good night kiss?"

"…"

Grimmjow stepped out of his car and stuffed his hands into his pockets before making his way over to him. "You know you can't resist my charm." He smirked widely.

"Maybe not, but I can resist your breath." Ichigo laughed, waving his hand.

"My brea-" Grimmjow stopped his sentence short and blew his breath into the palm of his hand, "The hell are you talking about?"

"It was a joke Grimm." He replied, standing on his tiptoes and planting a chaste kiss on his lips, "Good night." He smiled after they parted.

"Heh, yeah. See ya tomorrow."

When Kurosaki closed the door behind him, Grimmjow smiled and walked back to his car. What he had with Kurosaki was worth more to than the world to him. He couldn't lose it to Aizen, but he wasn't about to be the man's errand boy for the rest of his life either. Starting up his car again, he frowned. He needed to think up a plan and soon because more than just their future together was at stake.

After the long drive back to his house, Grimmjow entered his room, closed his door, and collapsed on his bed again. He laid in silence for quite some time, lost in thought. After bringing his hand to his chest, he remembered what Kurosaki had said to him earlier, just now understanding what he was saying.

" _Maybe…maybe that's not the only reason it's beating so fast…"_

" _Kurosaki says the weirdest things sometimes."_  He thought.


	10. A Temporary Getaway

"Ishida, I really need your help." Ichigo pleaded.

"Why does this not surprise me? I just knew that Jaegerjaques-san would be a bad influence on you. But of course, you never listen to me do you? And now your life is in danger."

Ichigo had conveniently left out the fact that they were all in danger. There would probably be no reasoning with him if he knew the full story.

"Are you going to help me or what?"

"I guess I could try formulating some sort of plan. I'm not making any promises though."

"A genius like you  _should_  be able to come up with quite a few good ideas." He baited.

"Just give me a while. The down time from the fieldtrip next week should be just what we need to-"

"W-wait. Fieldtrip?" the orange head echoed.

"Yes Kurosaki. Maybe if you didn't skip class so often with your significant other, you'd know about it."

When the other frowned, Ishida sighed and continued. Kurosaki really had no clue there was a fieldtrip next week. "On Monday our class is leaving for Sapporo. There was a class discussion and everything."

"Sapporo? That's in Hokkaido!"

"Yes. I guess I'll need to explain it  _all_  to you." Sighing, Ishida adjusted his glasses before speaking again, "Principal Yamamoto is sponsoring our trip as a reward for our grade's outstanding test scores. We outscored every other grade level in the school if you didn't know. Anyway, the trip will be a week long to the city where we students will be staying in lavish hotels and attending the Snow Festival. We're also encouraged to visit the Odori Park."

"Well that sounds cool. But wait, I don't have any permission slips!"

Ishida groaned before opening his book sack and pulling out a folder. "You should really appreciate me more Kurosaki. This was supposed to be my spare, but I guess I can give it to you."

After pulling the papers from his folder, he handed them over with a slight hesitation.

"Thanks Ishida. Oh. But what about Grimmjow? He didn't get any slips either."

"I guess you'd better go make copies then. Oh, and I'd prefer not to explain it all again, so I'll give you the honor."

"Ishida…the description is on the forms." Ichigo laughed.

"Oh…"

* * *

"What do you mean "no"? This would be perfect!"

"Kurosaki, it would never work. That bastard Aizen wouldn't let me leave this city so easily, especially not for a random, getaway fieldtrip."

"…" Ichigo inwardly sighed. He knew it wouldn't be easy for Grimmjow to convince Aizen, but he couldn't convince Grimmjow to even consider it.

"Nice try, but no dice."

"Grimmjow! I really want you to go! At least make an effort!" when he got no response, he continued angrily, "I swear that Aizen guy has your balls in his hand and he's not even around!"

Blue eyes quickly flashed to brown ones immediately after the statement was made.

"Take that fucking back!"

"Grimm, I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean that."

The bluenette fell back onto the grass and brooded while brown eyes looked outward to the flowing water. The two sat together silently in the grass on the banks of the river, letting the minutes pass them by. Silence wasn't always a bad thing between them though. Often when a discussion led to an argument, the two would mutually pause to let their steam out so they didn't rip each other to pieces. It had been quite some time before either spoke again.

"Grimm, I'm really sorry. I just want you to try. Here, I made these copies for you." He said, opening his book sack and pulling out the copies.

"…"

"Please? For me?" Grimmjow took the copies, not able to refuse Kurosaki's incessant begging.

"After you talk to him, call me okay?"

"I'm telling you, it ain't gonna work."

"It can't hurt to try." He replied, leaning over and resting on his boyfriend's larger form.

"Sure, whatever you say."

* * *

"Why that sounds like a lovely little vacation. Why on earth do you think I would be against it my dear Grimmjow?" Aizen smiled.

"Because it's fun, and you hate fun." He stiffened when a brown eyebrow rose.

"Well I don't mind at all. Of course, you'll have to compensate for your missed time."

"I'd be surprised if I didn't have to." He replied, walking to the door.

"Oh, and Grimmjow,"

"Yes?"

"Have fun during your vacation, and with the Kurosaki boy." He smirked.

Grimmjow gritted his teeth before walking out of the office. He decided he would go and see Kurosaki instead of calling him.

* * *

Ichigo was fairly irritated with Ishida by this point. The two had spent about an hour on the phone together to come up with a plan, but everyone he came up with, Ishida would shoot it down.

"Well then smarty pants, what do you suggest we do?"

"I…I don't know. Maybe we should just alert the authorities."

"No, we can't do that! Then Grimmjow would go to jail."

"Well-"

"You see? It's not so nice is it?"

"What? …Kurosaki, you're so immature."

"How can we get rid of Aizen without the risk of Grimmjow being arrested…?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe if he suddenly  _fell_  from his office window, then he could get off clean?"

"That's considered premeditated murder Kurosaki. Anyway, there's one thing we really need to consider…"

"And that is?"

"What has Jaegerjaques-san actually done while working for Aizen?"

"Oh… Well I'm not really clear about that. He didn't give too many details…"

It was only a slight lie that he told. Grimmjow had told him some of his previous work habits, but he didn't want to let Ishida know what they entailed.

"What  _did_  he tell you?"

"Well, he told me he sold some of Aizen's merchandise. Merchandise being…well, you know."

"Hmm. I think I can think up some kind of plan without your help for now. I'll call you later okay."

"All right. And thanks Ishida."

"Get some rest Kurosaki. You're definitely going to need it."

At that, Ichigo hung up the phone. Now it seemed like the only way to save everyone was to bring Aizen down. However, even if he was presented with the opportunity, he didn't think he could take the life of another person; even if that person was a heartless snake like Aizen.

*Knock Knock*

"It's open."

The door opened and then closed behind a very uneasy Karin. She approached her brother hesitantly, but when he gave her a smile, she continued.

"Ichigo, I just want to ask you if everything's okay. You've been kind of down lately, and that's not like you at all."

"I'm fine Karin. Thanks for your concern, but there's nothing for you to worry about." He assured.

"Okay. I'm glad you're doing better." She smiled finally.

At the sight of her rare, beautiful smile, Ichigo made up his mind to do whatever it would take to protect his family, friends, and Grimmjow.

"ONII-CHAN! You have a guest!" Yuzu called from downstairs.

Ichigo stood from his bed and walked to his door. He made his way down the stairs, Karin following close behind, and into the living room. There, Grimmjow stood in the doorway behind Yuzu.

"Hey Grimm."

"Hey Kurosaki."

"Hi Grimmjow." Karin smiled.

"Oh, hey." He grinned.

"I'm going to take a few scrimmage shots with Toshiro in a few. You should drop by."

"I can't today. I need to talk to your brother about some things."

"Oh, all right. Maybe next time then."

Ichigo started up to his room again, followed by the bluenette this time.

"Karin-chan, why have you been spending so much time with Toshiro-kun lately?" Yuzu asked knowingly.

"No reason in particular. I just never knew that he was a soccer player until I heard Renji talking about the match they had with some guy form their school."

"Oh. Hmm. Well, have fun." She smiled, returning to the kitchen to finish making dinner.

* * *

Grimmjow closed the door behind him after entering Ichigo's room. He stood silently in the center while the orange head took a seat on the bed.

"Well, what did Aizen say?"

"He said it was cool." An orange eyebrow rose at that statement, "He said I could go."

"That's great! That gives us the chance to talk about-"

"No. I just wanna relax and take it easy. He called it a "vacation," so I might as well treat it like one."

"But…"

"We can talk about that dipshit anytime Kurosaki. I just want to relax with you."

There was a brief, content silence in the room. Both could agree that they needed a break from the madness that surrounded this Aizen situation. Ichigo patted a spot on the bed next to him. Grimmjow took the hint and sat down before making himself comfortable.

"I want to help you Grimm. You're not alone."

"…"

Thinking back, Ichigo could remember a time when he was dying to have Grimmjow let him in. And now that he had, he was going to do anything and everything he could to help him. For this moment in time though, he would need to settle for a reassuring kiss. He leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips.

Grimmjow closed his eyes, but opened them again when the contact left him.

"I…I trust you Kurosaki."

Grimmjow didn't know why, but for some reason, he felt as though this boy was changing him. He had never opened up to anyone like this before, let alone trust anyone. Maybe that burning passion he spoke of that night under the stars was what made him want to place a gamble on this kid.

"So Grimmjow, I just want a few details about how you worked selling merchandise, and who you worked with, if anyone." Ichigo spoke, slightly hesitant due to the explosion the bluenette had when  _details_ were mentioned before.

"I guess I could let you in on a few things that went down."

"O-okay."

"I, uh, worked with a few people out on the streets. But the only ones I was assigned to work with regularly were Yammy and Nnoitora. Aizen kept people like Stark, Halibel and Ulquiorra close to him in the office. I think it's because none of them were capable of handling a situation if it turned ugly."

"Did things ever turn ugly for you?"

"A few times. It was nothing I couldn't handle though." He smirked.

"Oh. So most of the transfer students played some sort of role in Aizen's business?"

"More or less. Ulquiorra and Stark were usually on security detail. Stark watched the cameras while Ulquiorra handled office situations. Halibel didn't do much that I know of beyond handling a few of the finances. Szayel and Aaroniero worked the lab from what I heard. And Zommari cleaned up whenever a business transaction went wrong or whenever Aizen ended a partnership with someone. This was all before he formally named it Las Noches though. It operated as an ordinary office building to keep the cops away before he got his money up and could have security operating inside and out."

"Hm. So how do the police not suspect anything?"

"He has his ways. If I know him he probably has tabs on the commander's family he uses against the guy. I'm not sure about that though."

"The commander? Hmm. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm sure I know him…"

"Well, he's keeping his goons at bay for now. I guess his family is pretty important to him."

"What a manipulative man…"

Grimmjow laid back on Ichigo's pillow and closed his eyes tight. Aizen deserved to be locked away forever.

"Grimmjow I've been thinking."

"Yea?"

"If Aizen is arrested or killed, how will you make money?"

"Don't worry about that. Just look at me, I could get a job anywhere I wanted." He laughed.

"Wow. That is one fat ego you got there."

"Eh, my sexual appetite's fatter." He grinned, pulling the boy to him.

"I think I know that by now." Ichigo smiled as the other trailed kisses down his neck.

* * *

Monday arrived after a long, Grimmjow-less weekend for Ichigo. The bluenette suggested they spend the weekend apart in order to build up a little sexual tension for the trip. After all, they were sure to get the same room. The orange head stood apart from his class at the airport. He decided to get there early to get good plane tickets, but none of his friends had even arrived yet. Not even Ishida. He sighed and checked his phone for the time. It was a little after six twenty and not even a text message.

He sighed heavily and walked over to the window. It was fairly white outside due to the snow falling. Luckily there were no forecasted snowstorms of any sort for the next week or so. If there had been, their class trip would have surely been delayed. With all the rain though, he was surprised that it hadn't been snowing sooner. Oh well, at least they could take their trip.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo turned at the sound of his name from Inoue's familiar voice. She hurried over to him with her luggage.

"Good morning Inoue."

"Hi." She smiled.

"How'd you get here by the way?"

"Kucihki-san gave me a ride."

"Rukia? Where is she?"

"Oh, she's stocking up on candy right now." Inoue giggled.

Just then, the loudspeaker sounded.

"Good morning students of Karakura High School. I would like you all to begin dropping off your luggage and boarding the plane in an orderly fashion."

"Ichigo, hi." Rukia said as she approached.

"Hey Rukia. Wait, where is your luggage?"

"Hey there Ichigo." Renji spoke as he rounded the corner. The poor guy had been stuck carrying his and Rukia's bags. "Rukia, what did you pack in here anyway, bricks?"

"Just carry it. I gave you a free ride here." She retorted.

The four were rushed to the luggage bay by Miss Misato because she said they would have all the time the needed to socialize on the plane. When they boarded, Ichigo inwardly despaired. He was upset because there were only three seats per row so even if Grimmjow arrived now, they wouldn't be able to sit together.

He sighed and took the seat by the window. Inoue sat beside him in the center, and Rukia took the aisle seat.

"Wh-what about me?" Renji whined.

"Just sit behind us Renji." Ichigo answered.

After said redhead took the seat behind him, he turned his attention to the window. It was snowing even more, making him wonder how they would make it through this flight.

"Oh, hey Ishida. What's up Chad?"

Ichigo, Rukia, and Inoue turned their heads at the mention of their friends.

"Good morning everyone." Ishida said before taking his seat beside Renji.

"Hey." Is all Chad said before following Ishida's lead.

Ichigo frowned. He was glad to see his friends, but now he and Grimmjow wouldn't get see each other, let alone sit next to each other. Then again, the seats on the other side of the plane were still open, but students were filling in more and more by the minute thanks to Drill Sergeant Misato.

_Stupid Grimmjow! Can you get somewhere on time for once in your life?_  he brooded.

Reaching into his pocket, Ichigo grabbed his iPod. He switched it on, but before he put in the earphones, he heard a familiar voice.

"Over there you impudent slug." Ulquiorra sounded just as condescending as Ishida sometimes.

He looked behind Nnoitora and Ulquiorra and smiled when he saw that field of blue atop Grimmjow's head. The three took the seats directly to the left of where he and the girls were seated. Despite that, Grimmjow was not paying attention to anything but his iPod when he sat down, so he couldn't see Ichigo looking at him. The fact that Miss Misato had told them to keep their phones off made the situation even worse.

He decided to give up on getting the bluenette's attention for now, and let his music take him over.

"What are you listening to Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked.

"It's this song called  _Aozora no Namida_."

"Oh! Is that from the show Blood+?"

"Yea. Do you watch it?"

"Mhm! It's a really good series. Have you seen all the episodes?"

"No, I'm still in season 3."

"I finished that series last year. You should finish it as soon as possible." Rukia added.

"The second to last episode made me cry." Inoue sighed.

"I know huh?"

Ichigo could see they were probably about to go into detail about the ending, so he put his earphones back in and increased the volume. He decided they would be in the air for a few hours, so he could afford a nap. He closed his eyes and sank lower into his seat to get comfortable. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too tired to get out and do something when they landed.

When he woke up, Ichigo felt really warm. When he looked down, he saw a large blanket draped over him.

_Inoue._ He smiled at her caring nature. She and Rukia were also fast asleep beside him, sharing a blanket.

The thought faded when he remembered he still wanted his boyfriend's attention. He looked past the girls only to notice a good majority of their class was asleep as well. Grimmjow wasn't. He was still flipping through his iPod. He must have felt his eyes on him though, because he glanced up and met Ichigo's gaze before smirking. This gave rise to a fluttering in the orange-head's stomach.

He waved his hand awkwardly with a warm smile. Grimmjow no sooner flashed a toothy grin his way. He truly had a beautiful, if somewhat sadistic, smile.

Ichigo gently pulled the blanket from over his body and stood. He stretched and yawned before squeezing past Inoue and Rukia to make his way to the bathroom.

It hadn't been two minutes before he heard a knock.

_Fuck everything in sight._  He thought, redoing his zipper angrily.

Of all the times for somebody to have to use the bathroom, it  _would_ be now. He stood and started the water running in the sink. He heard another knocking. Whoever that was would just have to wait until he was done. The next knock was the last before he ripped the door open angrily.

"Hey Kurosaki." Grimmjow said, pushing him back into the bathroom and closing the door.

"I should have known it was you. Nobody else would be that impatient."

"Well, I gotta piss, but I wanted to be in here with you too."

"Why? That's kind of weird." Ichigo looked away when he saw Grimmjow lower his sweatpants.

"I want a blowjob." He sneered.

"No. You're not getting a blowjob on an airplane."

"C'mon, if you give me one I'll give you one."

"What are you, five? I said no anyway. That's final." He replied while the other finished his business.

Grimmjow walked closer to him and kissed his neck.

"You know you want to so why don't you just get to it?"

Ichigo backed away and folded his arms angrily.

"Because I'm sure somebody saw you come back here and we're both missing from our seats. Look, I'm not going to suck you off okay. Just drop it for now."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and pulled his sweats up again.

"You'd think I was asking you to rob a bank or something."

"Grimmjow, I…it's not like I don't want to, but in a bathroom? That's just trashy. We have lots of time this week for things like that." Ichigo did realize he was treating Grimmjow like he had some sort of disease, so he stood on his toes and planted a kiss on his lips to atone for it.

When they exited the bathroom, they were met with their slumbering classmates. There were very few people awake and that was to be understood. They were up here bright and early to catch this flight. At least everyone would be energized for the rest of the day.

Ichigo squeezed past Rukia and Inoue to reclaim his seat by the window. When he took a look outside, he could see the city coming into view. Miss Misato emerged from first-class and began waking up students.

"Sheesh, you children act as though it were 2 a.m." she nagged.

Ichigo reached over and lightly shook Inoue and then Rukia to spare them Misato's wrath.

"Oh, hi Kurosaki-kun." Inoue smiled and then yawned.

"Thanks for waking us up. I'll wake the guys." Rukia leaned through the space between her and Inoue's seat and woke Chad, then Ishida. When she touched Renji, he grabbed her arm and pulled her. Because of him she was stuck in the seats and with his pulling, she felt like her arm was being pulled off.

"Ow! You're hurting me you fool!" she exclaimed, slapping his sleeping face.

"Who-what?"

Rukia snatched her arm and slid back through the seats.

"Damn…" Renji rubbed his face soothingly.

Miss Misato hurried to the front aisle and informed everyone they would be landing soon. Inoue and Rukia excitedly jumped on Ichigo to look out the window.

"Wow, the city is so beautiful!" Inoue chirped.

"I can't wait to spend a little money down there." Rukia smiled.

"Okay! Now can you both get off of me? You're kind of hea-" Ichigo stopped when both girls immediately turned their attention to him, "N-never mind."

"Let's make this trip as fun and memorable as possible." Inoue turned her attention back to the city below.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow, who was currently arguing with Nnoitora, and smiled. He would definitely make this trip worth remembering.

* * *

Luppi strutted angrily through the emptied meeting room in  _Los Noches_.

"How dare that fucking bastard! First he gets chummy with that red-headed freak and then Aizen-sama lets him go on  _vacation_?"

"You  _sound_  jealous." Loly taunted, emerging from the corridor.

"Back off bitch. I don't have the time to deal with you right now."

"Poor Luppi. Stuck in this place with nobody to annoy." She baited, walking circles around him.

"I said-"

"And now you won't be able to suck your favorite dick anymore either. Now that Grimmjow isn't getting blitzed anymore, you can't have your way with him. He has a new toy these days, and you're just yesteryear's news."

"I can cut those ponytails off your head and shove them down your throat if you'd like." He glared.

"All I'm saying is you deserve to have what you want. If that just so happens to be you on your knees in front of Grimmjow, then make it happen."

"He'd better hope I never get my hands on that moody kid. I'll rip his dick off, shove it down his throat, make him shit it out, and then feed his balls to the dogs."

"Whoa. You are dark." Menoly said rounding the corner, "I thought I'd find you here Loly."

"Me and Menoly here want to take care of that redheaded girl Aizen-sama was so fond of. I've got unfinished business with her I'm itching to settle. If only we could get them here…"

"I heard Aizen-sama talking with Tousen and he said if Grimmjow slips up even once, he's gonna have a 'surprise' waiting for him here at headquarters." Menoly commented.

"Well I guess we're just gonna have to  _help_  our pal Grimmjow out now won't we?" Loly smiled deviously.

"I'll have his taste in my mouth again even if I have to kill a bitch." Luppi smirked.

"Was he that good?" Menoly had quite the curious look on her face at this point.

"Regardless of Grimmjow's sexual prowess, we know what we have to do to get him on Aizen-sama's bad side. Let's get going." Loly commanded.

* * *

*A-achoo!*

"Grimmjoooow! Watch where you're sneezing!" Ichigo shouted angrily.

"Sorry. I don't even know where that came from."

Everyone stood inside the lobby of the hotel waiting for Miss Misato to return with their keys. Ichigo stood close to Grimmjow but was pulled away from him by a strong force.

"What the-?"

"I was all the way in the back of the plane and you didn't even look for me! You can be so mean sometimes Ichigo!" Senna shouted.

"Oh, sorry. I was trying the whole time to get that lummoxes attention." He smiled, motioning to the man behind him.

"Speaking of which, did you two do it yet?" she asked, sizing Grimmjow up from behind. "I would have rocked his world so good he'd be orbiting another star by now."

"N-no Senna! And that's none of your business to be frank."

"You two should get it in soon and let me watch." Senna smiled, flashing a peace sign with her fingers.

"You're not-"

"Listen up class! I've got your room assignments and keys. Please come collect them so we can get our vacation started!" Miss Misato came bustling to the front desk.

After receiving his key, Ichigo hurried over to Grimmjow.

"I'm in room 315. What about you?"

"Damnit. I'm in room 321."

"Oh, well we can still spend time together. Just because we don't have the same room doesn't mean we can't see each other." He smiled.

"Yea..we can still fuck around in the hot springs."

"That's not…let's just go."

"I'm so serious Kurosaki. We're gonna have fun on this little trip."

Ichigo followed Grimmjow to the fourth floor via stairs. Why he had agreed to this he would never know. Actually, he did know. The only reason he agreed to carrying his luggage up the stairs was because everybody else was trying to stuff themselves into the elevator. Even though it was more work than he would have preferred, this was a better alternative. He also had a perfect view of Grimmjow's ass as they made their way up. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if he were the one who was the dominant one in their relationship. That meant he would be entering Grimmjow, and not the other way around-if they ever did it. The thought left him as soon as it came though. He was satisfied with the idea that he would be on the receiving end.

The two said their temporary goodbyes when Ichigo reached his room. He unlocked the door and walked in. There was already luggage on the first bed, so he dropped his belongings on the second.

_I wonder who those are for._

"Is that you Ichigo?"

"Shuhei?"

"Hey man." said boy responded.

"It's good to see you again." He smiled.

To be honest, Ichigo and Shuhei were really a lot alike. Even thought they had never been amazingly close friends, they had hit it off from the moment they met. Too bad he had a thing for Rangiku. Then again, a small rumor had spread that he had a thing for Renji too...

Ichigo pulled out his phone and sent Grimmjow a text:

" _I got Shuhei as a roommate. Wbu?"_

Down the hall, Grimmjow walked into his assigned room and dropped his luggage on the unoccupied bed. He noticed a booksack and luggage on the floor and a pair of sunglasses on the bed.

_What idiot is wearing sunglasses with all this snowy weather?_

"Jaegerjaques!" Renji yelled from the bathroom doorway.

"Oh just my fucking luck."


	11. A Word Unspoken, A Night Unforgettable

Ichigo sat on his bed waiting for a response from Grimmjow. After about ten minutes, he decided to just go see him in room 321.

"Hey Shuhei, I'm going to see Grimmjow. I'll be back in a while."

"Okay." the boy responded from the bathroom.

Ichigo walked out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He immediately noticed a crowd a few doors down.

_Wonder what that's about…_

"Ichigo!" Senna called from the other end of the crowd when she saw him approach.

"Senna? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure All I do know-wait…" Senna got down on all fours and crawled through the crowd of legs in front of her, "Okay. All I know is there's been some shouting and a lot of movement coming from that room."

Ichigo stood on his toes to see over the crowd and saw the room number 321 sitting expectedly on the door.

"That's Grimmjow's room. Who could he be fighting with…?"

"Let's find out!" Senna grinned, pulling his arm and forcing herself through the crowd.

"Hey! Watch it!" a girl called.

"It's not even that serious." Somebody shouted after falling.

When they reached the door, they could heard shouting behind it. Ichigo turned the handle and abruptly opened it.

He was quite shocked to find Renji stomach down on the floor while Grimmjow sat on top of him. The most shocking part of the scene before him was the sock Grimmjow had shoved into Renji's mouth and held it in place with one hand. Renji would have been able to do something if his arms weren't being restricted by Grimmjow's other hand.

"What's going on here?"

"Is this some sort of masochist-sadist thing?" Senna gleamed eagerly. Every pair of eyes from the hallway and inside the room that could see her were now looking directly at her. "I-is nobody into that kind of thing…?"

"Grimm, get off of Renji." Ichigo commanded, turning his attention away from Senna.

When Grimmjow shifted his weight to stand, Renji jumped to his feet and knocked the bluenette backwards. Grimmjow fell to the floor with a thud and cursed audibly.

Renji ripped the sock from his mouth and threw it directly in Grimmjow's face. "You asshole! He stuck his dirty sock in my mouth!"

Ichigo and Senna snickered, causing Renji's face to become almost as red as his hair. He hurried over to them, grabbed their wrists and then dragged them to the doorway. "Scram!" he yelled to what remained of the crowd in the hallway.

Ichigo pulled his arm out of Renji's grasp and walked over to Grimmjow. He gave him a quick hug and whispered in his ear, "I'll see you later, after I hang out with Renji and calm him down."

Grimmjow remained silent and watched his boyfriend walk out the door with that idiot redhead and annoying orange-eyed girl.

After the door closed, he flopped down on his bed and got out his phone. He had two new messages, one from Kurosaki and the other from Nnoitora. He opened Kurosaki's:

" _I got Shuhei as a roommate. Wbu?"_

He closed it and then opened Nnoitora's:

" _Get ur ass up to room 511 right now. We're having room service and movies. Everybodys prolly gonna go out tomorrow."_

Grimmjow grinned and put away his phone. He hadn't spent time with his own group of friends for quite a while. This was just what he needed. Well, besides some ass.

* * *

"Hmm! This silence is going to drive me crazy!" Senna said as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"I think you already took that drive and made crazy your home." Renji commented.

"Ugh! It's you who's going to drive me there a hundred miles over the speed limit! You're such a pest!" she countered after harshly stomping her foot on the floor.

"What do you wanna do?" Renji asked Ichigo.

"Anything but this. I'll ask Rukia what she's up to." He responded, pulling out his phone.

Senna turned to Renji and smirked. "Jealous that he has Rukia's number?"

"You wish."

"Rukia, hey…What are you up to...Yea…No we're on the fourth floor…Who was that...Inoue…I thought so…Okay…I'll bring Senna and Renji…"

"What'd she say?" Renji asked.

"She wants us to get together in her room. Inoue is her roommate. Chad and Ishida got there a few minutes ago. Let's head on up."

As they made their way to room 612, Ichigo glanced at Renji wondering if he had still been upset about his confusion about his sexuality. To be honest, it was nothing to be afraid of. He should actually be excited to explore what satisfies his sexual appetite. There was no doubt in his mind that Renji was attracted to girls. His concern was about whether or not the guy was attracted to guys or just craving for attention.

 _Then again, he did pretty much cry when he told me so I don't think he's lying. Damn you Renji. Why couldn't you have felt this way_ before _I met Grimmjow._

"Something wrong Ichigo?" Senna asked.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Sorry I just spaced out for a second."

"612 right?" Renji asked as they walked out of the elevator.

"Yea."

Senna ran ahead and jumped in front of the door before knocking.

Inoue opened the door and smiled. "Hi Senna. How are you?"

"Just peachy. Thanks for having us over." She said before walking in.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun and Abarai-kun."

"Hey Inoue." Ichigo said.

"Hey" Renji uttered.

As soon as he saw Rukia on her bed, he ran and jumped on it right beside her.

"Renji, do you enjoy being abused?" Ishida asked.

"He must." Rukia commented, kicking him with her foot.

Ichigo took a seat on the floor and pulled out his phone again. He was hoping that maybe Grimmjow had texted him, but he didn't have any new messages.

_I hope he's not still in that room…_

"Before you all get too comfortable, do you want to go out and do something? I'd really like to go to some stores around here."

"Oh good idea! I love shopping!" Senna bounced.

"That sounds fun Kuchiki-san." Inoue smiled.

The three girls looked down to the guys and waited for a response.

"Why not?" Ishida said.

"Okay." Chad commented. He was never really one to argue, especially when it came to women.

When Ichigo gave his okay, Renji groaned.

"Seriously? Everybody wants to go?"

"You can stay if you like." Rukia offered.

"I'll go."

With that, everyone stood and headed for the door. Inoue and Rukia got their wallets and were the last ones to exit the room.

"Oh, the Snow Festival starts tomorrow. We should get some stuff for that too." Ishida commented.

"Good idea!" Inoue smiled.

It was too cold outside to walk. That became apparent the moment the door in the lobby opened. Rukia pulled out her phone and dialed the number for a taxi. Without hesitation, she paid and had them driven to the shopping centers in the city. She truly went overboard when it came to shopping.

After walking around the shopping centers for a while, Ichigo looked to Renji again and noticed he wasn't all over Rukia like he normally was. He actually hadn't been for quite a while since their talk. He pulled him slightly behind the group when they entered the next building so they could have a private chat.

"Renji, how've you been holding up?" he asked.

"I'm good as always. What's with the sudden need to get me alone? You gonna break up with Jaegerjaques and get with me?" he chuckled.

"No. I'm just wondering how you're doing. Have you had the chance to…you know…?"

"Oh nah. I can't think of anybody besides Yumichika who would actually be into that kind of thing."

"Why don't you want to get with him?"

"I don't know. He's just…not my type I guess."

"So you don't want the flamboyant guys huh?"

"Yea. I mean, I'm just getting into the whole idea of it. I don't wanna go throwing rainbow flags or cross-dressing. Maybe that's the reason so many straight guys are so afraid to even entertain the thought of being with another guy."

"They think they're automatically degraded or something. But who really cares? Most people have some sort of sexual contact with other people of the same sex at some point. The ones who are afraid to admit they liked it are the weak ones. It really takes strength to be gay. I actually admire Yumichika to be honest."

"You don't let it define you."

"Because it doesn't. Just because you're gay, or bisexual, doesn't mean you have to be overly feminine or like wear makeup. It is a part of you, but it isn't everything that you are. You really can't even tell with some people." Ichigo spoke more quietly to Renji to keep his secret, "Renji, I don't know what else to say but for you to do what makes you happy. If that's having sex with girls, or guys, then do it. I'll always be here to support you, and so will they." He motioned to their group of friends just ahead of them.

"Thanks Ichigo. Why can't more people be like you?"

"Don't say that. I hate that fucking question." he laughed, causing Renji to smile.

Even after all this time and all the confusion they've been through, they were still best friends. Something Ichigo appreciated more than he would admit.

* * *

"Do you love me?" the woman on the screen asked her lover.

"Of course I do baby." The man replied.

"Then kiss me." She pleaded.

At that, the couple pulled the covers over their forms and the camera panned to the curtains.

Grimmjow hated film noir. There weren't enough sex scenes in modern day films to satisfy him so all this implied shit had him bored out of his mind. Ulquiorra's choice of course. Go figure.

When the scene changed to morning, the screen lit up and Grimmjow's blue eyes glanced around the room. Halibel was lying on the opposite end of the bed. Nnoitora was slumped in the center in between them, making unnecessary commentary as the movie progressed. Ulquiorra sat in a recliner, fully seated up. Stark sat at the foot of the bed on the floor. Aaroniero was asleep on the floor not far from him. Yammy was stretched out on the couch trying to stay awake. Szayel wasn't even watching the movie; he sat at the computer desk on his laptop.

_Social pariah._

"Do you love me?" Nnoitora joked, scooting closer to Grimmjow.

"Get away from me you asswipe."

"Is that what Kurosaki asked you when you first pounded his ass? Did he cry because you split him open so far no shit would ever need to be forced out again?" he laughed hysterically.

"Fuck you. Piano toothed, horse-faced cunt."

Despite his approach, Nnoitora did have a point. What would Kurosaki say when the time came? Would he be concerned about feelings? When Grimmjow lost his virginity, it was simply for pleasure. He never wanted strings attached. That just meant dead weight you had to carry around and occasionally fuck. Nothing freaky like necrophilia though.

He and Kurosaki were different.

Love to him was just another word. He knew he had good looks and his astonishing body. That was all he needed. He just wasn't interested in being with anyone for emotional ties. All he thought he needed was to get off and move on.

" _I'm surprised I don't have some sort of STD."_ he inwardly laughed.

He was thirteen when he lost his virginity. It was a spur of the moment with some guy who had been sucking him off since they were eleven. Now he didn't even remember the guy's name. Ever since then, he'd just been having sex anytime he felt the want or need to. As of late, however, he had committed himself to Kurosaki only. He hadn't seen another dick besides his or his own and that was hard to get used to at first.

But if he was honest with himself, he liked the stability of a relationship. He liked knowing that there was always someone there for him. Most of all, he liked the idea that someone was his and only his before and after the sparks flew in the bedroom.

Someone to laugh with, or  _at_  most of the time. Someone to sleep with and let your drool cover an entire side of their face. Someone to hold for however long you want to. Someone who makes your heart beat ten times as fast not simply because they're taking your dick into their mouth, pussy, or ass. Someone like Kurosaki.

" _Maybe…maybe that's not the only reason it's beating so fast…"_ Kurosaki had said.

_I don't want Kurosaki to look back and regret losing his virginity too. Damn him, what has he turned me into?_

"Okay I'm picking the next movie and I pick Kill Bill" Nnoitora exclaimed as the credits played on the screen.

"You would." Ulquiorra shook his head, "It's obvious you have the lack of proper refinement even an infant could display."

"Here's the number of shits I give about what just left your lips: zero."

Before Ulquiorra could counter, Nnoitra slowly slid off the bed and walked into the bathroom as collectedly as he could.

"Apparently you're wrong." Ulquiorra commented.

"I hope you have explosive diarrhea!" Yammy called, laughing to no end.

"Fuck all of you!" Nnoitora called from behind the closed door.

* * *

On the way back into the hotel, Renji pulled Ichigo aside to ask him a private question.

"Hey, I wanna ask you this and you have to promise you won't freak out okay?"

"Okay…" Ichigo responded, sure he was about to have to punch Renji in the gut.

"What does Grimmjow's dick taste like?"

"Wh-what? WHY?"

"I'm just curious."

"I'm assuming you want to know simply because you're 'curious' about what it will be like when you give your first blowjob."

"O-okay. That's good. Let's go with that."

Ichigo stopped in place and looked outside to the darkening sky. How could he describe the taste of Grimmjow's penis?

"I can't really think of much to say about the taste of like…the head and shaft. It's not bad is all I can really say… Salty and warm…? Anyway, what I can say tastes good to me is his cum. I swallow almost every time I blow him."

"That stuff tastes good?"

"Well yea. I mean, it's really tangy, but when I remember that it's from Grimm, I just…I dunno…down it…? It's special because one, it's something I can do that pleases him and two, I know it is him in essence. It's his taste and his only."

"It pleases him?"

"Yea. He uh…he likes to taste it in my mouth when we kiss. It's a dominant male ownership thing I guess…" Ichigo whispered.

"What a freak."

"Say what you want, but it's our thing. Not everybody does the same thing as everybody else anyway."

"Hey! Hurry up slow pokes!" Senna called from ahead.

"Don't tell us what to do!" Renji exclaimed, stomping over to her.

Ichigo shook his head and slowly caught up to the rest of the group.

"Hey Kuchiki-san, let's make some hot chocolate for everyone when we get back into our room!" Inoue bounced.

"Oh good idea! I bought some marshmallows back at the airport too so it will be complete!" she smiled.

Everyone seemed to be getting along quite well these days. Rukia and Inoue were so close they had been having slumber parties every week. Chad and Ishida generally held a conversation or two even. Then there was Senna and Renji. Those two were always at each other's necks. But Ichigo couldn't think of any other way they could be together. They were too much alike to be friendly with each other.

He looked to the two while they made their way up to Rukia and Inoue's room.

"Oh just put a sock in it Renji!" he watched Senna hold her sides while she laughed her way into the elevator.

"Your mouth is half the size of your head you know that!" Renji retorted angrily.

_They argue more than Rukia and Renji do._

"Oh Kuchiki-san, I hope it would be okay if I invite Tatsuki-chan and the others to our room?" Inoue asked.

"That sounds fine to me. Will Keigo and Mizuiro join too?"

"Most likely. I think Mizuiro has a crush on Michiru."

At that, both girls giggled.

"They would make the  _cutest_  couple!" Senna joined.

"I thought we were the only ones who thought that!" Rukia smiled.

Girls could be so goofy sometimes. These three in particular were fairly bubbly in their own way when they were apart, but now it was like a foam party or something.

When the elevator reached the seventh floor, everyone exited and made their way down the hallway to the girls' room.

"There you are Orihime!" Chizuru gleamed.

"Hi Chizuru! Hi everyone!" Inoue waved as she ran over to the door and unlocked it with her keycard. "Sorry to make you all wait!"

"It's no problem at all." Tatsuki assured.

"What movie are we going to watch?" Keigo asked as he made his way in.

"I was thinking a comedy." Rukia commented as she took a seat on her bed and picked up the remote.

Ichigo smiled. It had been a long time since everyone hung out outside of school. Even Senna seemed to be fitting perfectly into their little group.

"So does anybody else like the new song Harukaze by Scandal?" Rukia asked.

"Me!" Inoue sang.

"I don't think it's so bad. I still kind of like Shoujo S. They're a really good band if I'm honest." Tatsuki commented.

After much more small talk, Ichigo looked at his phone and noticed it was a little bit past ten now and they still hadn't decided on anything to watch.

_I hope Grimmjow is still up…_

"I know exactly what to watch!" Chizuru got the remote from Rukia and started Netflix.

All the girls in the room squealed when she searched "Sailor Moon" and let it play.

"Seriously?" Keigo asked.

"Hey, let's play Phantasy Star." Mizuiro pulled out his PSP, Keigo imitating his action.

"Did you ever beat Wayfarer in White and unlock Vivienne's partner card?" he asked.

"Like ages ago. I got Magashi's card last night. I also bought some DLC missions and started beating those." Mizuiro confidently remarked.

Video game talk. It wasn't so bad when Ichigo knew what was being discussed. However, he had never played the  
Phantasy Star series before so he tuned them out for the time being. No matter what they did, as long as they did it together, that was all that really mattered.

* * *

Grimmjow flipped onto his side under his sheets. He had been tossing and turning ever since he got back from watching movies with everyone and he hated it. Tonight was so boring. There wasn't much going on downstairs in the lobby or in the atrium so he had made his way to his room to maybe get some sleep. Unfortunately, the night was still young.

He glanced over at Renji's bed. That fool was still out which meant Kurosaki was probably still out too. The thought vanished when he heard footsteps walking down the hallway. Damnit he wasn't about to just lie around and do nothing. He threw the sheets to the side and got out of bed. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, he put on a jacket, slipped on the fuzzy slippers Kurosaki had bought him, and walked out onto the balcony.

The air was cold. He hated the cold. Luckily February would be March in about two to three weeks. The weather had been flocculating all month. First it was cool. Then it got rainy. Next it got cold. Then it got snowy. Those times he'd spent outside in September with Kurosaki seemed so long ago. They had been together for about six months now. So much had transpired in that time. They met in late September and got together in early October. Things had been pretty steady for them up until the end of January when Aizen decided to stick his fucking nose back into his life.

Now things were so complicated. It wasn't like he could leave Kurosaki to spare him from Aizen's wrath. And they couldn't run because of all the people the bastard would go after. Even Renji didn't deserve to get involved with the twisted snake, and he couldn't stand Renji.

Grimmjow sighed heavily, watching his breath flow out like smoke. He hadn't smoked anything in so long. Nobody ever told him how proud they were of him for that except Kurosaki. When his breath faded away, he brought his attention back the city in front of him. All those people had no idea what was going on in his life. No idea the trouble he was in. No idea the boy he was with. Ever since that party he had been looking at the stars all the time. Tonight though, there was nothing but dark gray clouds traveling above. He looked out to the mountains, then the ski resorts, then back to the city.

When the room door opened, he turned his head. It was Renji and Kurosaki. After a few minutes he heard Kurosaki's voice.

"Hey Renji can I spend some time with Grimm in here? I promised him I'd see him after I hung out with you guys."

"Okay. Where am I gonna go though?"

"You could hang out with Shuhei in my room."

"All right. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky."

" _What the hell?"_  Grimmjow thought.

"Here's my keycard."

Grimmjow waited a few minutes after he heard the door close to go back inside, closing the door behind him.

"Grimmjow! What are you doing in here?" Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin.

"This is my room remember?" he noticed Ichigo's position and smirked, "Why are you sprawled out on my bed?"

"Oh, I was waiting for you. I wanted to see you tonight."

Grimmjow took a seat and stared down into his brown eyes. "I wanted to see you too."

Ichigo slid his hand on top of Grimmjow's and rubbed it softly. Grimmjow bent over and placed a kiss on those pink lips he couldn't do without.

"Thanks for...you know, being there all the time Kurosaki."

Ichigo blushed and smiled. "You don't need to thank me you idiot. That's what I'm here for."

" _You mean so fucking much to me."_  Grimmjow thought, wishing he could say it. If he said something like that this early in their relationship, it could just make things feel rushed. He slid up further on his bed and pulled Kurosaki up with him.

Ichigo scooted up and sat between Grimmjow's legs. He rested his chin on Grimmjow's shoulder. His skin grew hot when he felt the other's warm mouth begin sucking his neck.

Grimmjow kissed and bit and sucked Ichigo's skin while working his way out of his own jacket and shirt. After a glance into the other's eyes, he pulled the jacket and t-shirt over his orange-haired head. Without hesitation, he began trailing kisses over Ichigo's torso.

Ichigo moaned eagerly when he remembered the talk he had with Renji earlier. Why did he like blowing Grimmjow? It really just came naturally to him. And right now, that was all he wanted to do.

He moved closer to the man in front of him and began mimicking his actions from a few seconds ago. He kissed his toned chest and made sure to lick both nipples. For the few seconds they remained wet, Ichigo could see the lightest of blue hairs surrounding them. His skin grew hotter when he made the decision to kiss his way downward, following the path the happy trail of hair left for him. Before he could even reach the belly button, Grimmjow had lowered his sweat pants and boxers, revealing his hardened member.

Ichigo felt his eyes becoming heavily hazed with lust. He kissed lower and lower until he reached his goal. Before engulfing it, he trailed kisses down one side of the length and up the other. He looked up and saw blue eyes watching him intently. This caused him to blush a deep crimson. But this was Grimmjow.

_He probably wants this more than I do._

Grimmjow threw his head back when Ichigo took in as much of him as he could. When he looked back down and saw that orange head bobbing up and down, he knew this wasn't all he wanted to do tonight.

"Kurosaki…ugh…Are you ready to…go all the way?" he managed.

Ichigo stopped and pulled his mouth away from Grimmjow's member. Was he ready to take that step? He looked into Grimmjow's eyes and realized he was completely serious. After all they had been through, and all they were destined to go through, he decided he would be glad to give it up to the man before him.

"I…I think I am."

Grimmjow leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Get out of your pants."

Ichigo did as he was told. His heart was racing a thousand miles a second, but he wasn't about to go back on his word now.

When they were both completely naked, Grimmjow pulled out a condom and put it on slowly. He looked up at Ichigo and spoke, "Oh, I need to prepare you first."

"Huh?"

"I need to stretch you so you won't be in so much pain."

At that, Ichigo became more nervous than before. "Pain?"

"Yea. But if I prepare you the right way, it will be less painful and more pleasurable."

"Oh…"

Grimmjow noticed he wasn't making Ichigo feel any better so he leaned forward again and whispered in his ear. "Do you trust me Kurosaki?"

Ichigo nodded in response.

"I won't hurt you okay. It'll feel weird at first, but I'm gonna make it feel really good for ya."

With Ichigo's consent, Grimmjow lubed his fingers and laid the boy onto his back. He rubbed Ichigo's entrance gently, and then inserted a finger. Ichigo squirmed at the intrusion, but quickly adjusted to the feeling. Grimmjow poked and prodded for a few seconds, then added a second finger.

"Does that feel good?"

"Y-yea…it's not bad."

"Okay, here's the third."

Ichigo moaned and closed his eyes when all three fingers slid in and out of him. Grimmjow continued his ministrations for a few minutes, and when Ichigo calmed down and got used to the feeling, he pulled his fingers out.

"Okay, this one's a little bigger."

Ichigo opened his eyes and looked straight into Grimmjow's. He was more nervous than he had ever been in his life.

"I…I-"

"I promise it'll feel good after just a few minutes."

"…Okay…"

Grimmjow positioned himself and looked back into Ichigo's eyes. Kurosaki was so beautiful. Everything about him made him realize what he had been missing out on all these years. He was glad this was not just a quick fuck with someone whose name he didn't even know.

" _I fucking love you Kurosaki."_  He thought as he pushed past the boy's entrance.

Ichigo closed his eyes tight. Grimmjow's penis was a lot bigger than his fingers. As it slid further and further into him, he couldn't help but let a tear escape. To his surprise, Grimmjow leaned forward and kissed him in an attempt to calm him down.

" _He cares at least. I wanted this, and now there's nothing to do but try to enjoy it."_ He thought.

He opened his eyes, he felt Grimmjow go as deep as he could and stop.

" _I love you Grimmjow. Don't ever leave me."_

He rocked his hips to let him know it was okay to move. Grimmjow got the message and began a slow rhythm, moving in and out.

Ichigo moaned uncontrollably when the other quickened his movements. Suddenly, he felt a wave of pleasure come over him when Grimmjow hit a certain spot.

"Do that…again…" he pleaded.

Grimmjow angled himself so he could hit that same spot every time. He knew Ichigo was starting to get more pleasure out of it because he was moving in rhythm with his own.

"Call my name Kurosaki."

"Grimmjow."

"Louder."

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo moaned. He grabbed his forgotten member and began stroking it in tune with Grimmjow's pounding.

Grimmjow leaned forward and violently kissed Ichigo. This boy was his now. The more moans and groans he gave, the more the bluenette felt himself getting closer to climaxing. He couldn't keep up his slowed pace, so he pounded Ichigo harder and faster.

Ichigo was nearing his end. Grimmjow kept hitting that one spot over and over and the speed was too much for him to take. His climax felt better than it ever had before. He shot all over his hand and stomach with a loud moan. When Grimmjow saw this, he grabbed his arm, brought his hand to his mouth, and licked it clean.

"Kurosaki, I-I'm gonna-"

Ichigo felt Grimmjow stop moving and felt strong pulsations from his member inside him. He knew he had reached his climax.

Grimmjow pulled out, leaving Ichigo feeling empty, and removed the condom. He noticed the cum all over Kurosaki's stomach and bent down to lick it off.

Ichigo moaned again at the feeling of that magical tongue. When the mess was cleared Grimmjow fell on top of him, head on his chest, breathing heavily.

"I can't remember the last time I had sex that good." He huffed.

Ichigo wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's form and brought his hands up to tangle his fingers in his blue locks of hair. The two stayed in their position for quite some time basking in the afterglow of sex.

When their breathing regulated, Grimmjow rose and kissed Ichigo before he moved up behind him and pulled the sheets over them. He wrapped his arms around the boy's smaller form and kissed the back of his neck.

"Grimmjow, that was amazing."

"Told ya. Now get some sleep cuz I'm tired." He yawned.

Ichigo lay in silence for a while, but when he heard Grimmjow's faint snore he closed his eyes.

" _I don't regret it. I actually really enjoyed it. It's all thanks to you that I feel this way. Thank you."_  He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the lack of a scowl on the other's face,  _"I love you Grimmjow."_

The last thing Ichigo could remember about that night before he fell asleep was Grimmjow's barely conscious words:

"By the way, you're gonna be walking funny tomorrow."


	12. Half Full

Renji woke up comfortably in Ichigo's bed. There was a source of warmth right in front of him but he couldn't think of what it was. He pulled the sheets back and was surprised to see Shuhei sleeping soundly. Then he remembered what happened between them last night.

Flashback

_After he had been blatantly asked to leave his room, Renji made his way to Ichigo and Shuhei's room. He slid the keycard and entered quietly. He thought he would be hounded, but unexpectedly, there was no one in the room. He sat on the bed and realized the shower was running._

_He impulsively stood and walked over to the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked._

"Who showers with the door unlocked?" _he thought._

_Nevertheless, he turned the handle and slipped in. It smelled heavily of shampoo inside._

_Renji paused. Maybe he should get the boy's attention instead of simply pulling back the shower curtain and startling him. He removed his shirt first in order to arouse the other before he made his move._

" _Shuhei!"_

_The curtain flew back to reveal a very shocked brunette._

" _R-Renji! What the heck are you doing in here!" he shouted._

" _I…" said redhead couldn't finish his statement._

" _Y-you're…you…want to…join me…?"_

_Renji shook his head. Shuhei pulled the curtain all the way back and gestured for the other to join with his hand. No slower than Shuhei had pulled back the curtain after hearing his name called was Renji undressed. He stepped in and took his position behind the other._

_Shuhei pulled the curtain back and turned around. He lathered the towel and started trailing it over Renji's proud tattoos. He made his way downward, kneeling as he went. When he reached the other's member, he took in as much of it as he could into his mouth._

_After minutes of endurance, Renji came with a loud moan. He felt his knees getting weak, so he gave in and knelt in front of Shuhei._

" _Renji, you don't have to-"_

" _No, I…I want to."_

" _Oh, okay."_

_Renji didn't know what to do, but this seemed pretty basic. He leaned closer and licked the tip of Shuhei's penis. Like Ichigo said, it didn't really have a taste. Well, so long as it didn't taste bad. Renji moved forward and took in as much as his mouth would allow before moving back and forth. Simple enough. The way it fit perfectly into the mouth was an interesting thing to remember. It was practically like a Popsicle. That thought made him grin, which didn't go unnoticed by Shuhei._

" _Having fun?"_

_Renji removed the member and retorted, "Quiet." while smirking._

_After taking it in again, he noticed he was indeed turned on again at the moment. There was no denying the truth anymore. He was also attracted to guys._

End Flashback

What they did last night was nothing either could regret when they thought back to it.

Shuhei yawned and stretched before turning over. He jumped when he saw Renji, but immediately calmed down after remembering what happened between them last night. They had been more intimate than he had been with anyone before.

"Morning Shuhei."

"Good morning Renji."

Silence. Slightly awkward. The two stared into each other's eyes until Shuhei cleared his throat nervously.

"Hey Renji, when did you start liking guys?" he asked hesitantly, curiosity overcoming him.

"I-I don't really know. I guess for a few years, but I stopped thinking about it until after I made out with Ichigo at his party."

"Oh, I understand."

"What about you? I thought you liked Rangiku."

"Who says I can't like both?"

"I…I guess nobody. So you're bi then?"

"Bingo. You seem to be too. I mean, you surprised the hell out of me last night when you interrupted my shower but I can tell you definitely like guys. I noticed you also seem to have a thing for Rukia too though. Liking guys and girls is called being bisexual."

"Bi…I guess you're right. But I didn't really want to think about guys that way until I sucked face with Ichigo."

"I guess you're a bit jealous that he's with Grimmjow now huh? But then again, that's the way things work out sometimes. Anyway, I'm available if you ever want to get together again. Or even if you want to get together as more than just a fling." He offered.

"I'll keep that in mind." Renji grinned.

For some reason, the redhead felt like talking to Rukia, but not until after he talked to Ichigo.

* * *

The light beaming through the blinds from outside seemed unusually bright. It was as if the heavens were shining down upon the room in which magic had occurred the night before. Ichigo swiftly pulled the sheets over his head to block it out. Then he realized that if there was actual light flooding in, then the sun must be out and the festival would begin in a matter of hours. He jumped up and got off the bed to see what the weather looked like, but his sense of balance had been somewhat thrown off; not to mention the throbbing pain in his ass and lower backside.

When he heard a laugh, he whipped his head around and eyed Grimmjow down.

"You jerk!"

"Hey I told you before I fell asleep. At least I think I did… Besides, you're the one jumping around this early in the morning, fire-crotch."

"Sh-shut up! Why didn't you tell me  _before_  we actually did it?"

"I guess it slipped my mind." Grimmjow responded, sitting up and roughly scratching his head.

Ichigo wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing him limp, so he sat back down on the bed.

Grimmjow leaned over to him and rubbed his back soothingly.

"I'm sorry okay? Anyway, if I told you that you probably would have backed out."

Ichigo laid back, letting his head collide heavily with Grimmjow's stomach.

"Ah shit!" he gasped.

"Sorry, guess the fact that you were behind me  _slipped my mind_." He mocked.

Grimmjow looked down to him and smirked. "You wanna have another go?"

"As if! I need to teach myself to walk again thanks to you!"

"So you never wanna have sex again?"

"…Maybe we can do it again soon, but not too soon. I did like it, I just need a little time to recover from last night."

Grimmjow groaned childishly.

"Hey Grimm."

"What?"

"Do you wanna…I dunno…cuddle?"

Grimmjow had been met with this question before; many moons before he ever knew Kurosaki existed. Some girl he had slept with had grown too attatched to him in their time having casual sex together. He quickly brushed her off and had avoided her ever since then. The actual meaning behind cuddling wasn't something he wanted to understand. But he was different now. He was stronger physically and emotionally than he had ever been.

"Yea, sure." He replied, falling onto his back.

Ichigo smiled and positioned himself comfortably in front of Grimmjow. After a few minutes of motionless silence, Grimmjow awkwardly placed his arm over Ichigo's waist. Upon feeling this, Ichigo put his own hand over the bluenette's and intertwined their fingers.

"Kurosaki"

"Yea?"

"No matter what happens with Aizen, I just want you to know…that I-"

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Ichigo! Good morning! The Snow Festival is today! Let's get going sleepy-head!" Senna called from the hallway.

Having been successfully interrupted by that bratty girl, Grimmjow shook his head and sat up.

" _Damnit Senna!"_  Ichigo sat up and spoke, "Grimm, what were you-"

"Forget it. It's not important."

"Grimmjow…" Ichigo moved behind him and wrapped his arms around the larger man's torso. "I want you to know that no matter what happens that I love you." He whispered into his back.

Blue eyes went wide and then even wider when the door opened.

Renji walked past Senna, but stopped when he saw the two on the bed. They were both shirtless, and Ichigo was holding onto Grimmow's backside, immediately evoking the idea that they had also been busy together last night.

"Uh, sorry."

"Wow, he's actually really beautiful. Only on the outside though. Wait! Does this mean what I think it means…?" Senna giggled peeping past Renji.

" _That girl is so annoying…_ " Grimmjow thought.

"Hey, can you two give me a few minutes to get dressed? We can head to the festival after we get everyone together."

"Yeah of course." Renji replied, closing the door.

"Wh-what'd you do that for? I wanted to see!" Senna whined.

"They were probably naked under the sheets. Content too mature for you apparently."

"…You are such a prude!"

"You really need to grow up Senna…"

"*Gasp* I'll have you know I skipped a grade!"

* * *

Ichigo sat uncomfortably on the bed. He had just admitted his feelings for Grimmjow. It wasn't planned, it just sort of came out. As for now, he didn't need to hear it back. This was a serious matter indeed, and if it was said too soon and without meaning, it would only be damaging to their relationship.

He didn't know when he actually started feeling for Grimmjow, all he knew was that he did. These days, life just seemed complete with the bluenette around. He filled Ichigo's life with interest and, of course, the occasional worry. However, in all honesty, he was happy with the way things were between them.

"Mind if I borrow some of your clothes Grimm? I don't want to wear the same thing I wore yesterday."

"…Ah, no not at all Kurosaki."

"Thanks" Ichigo said, getting off the bed as best he could.

He went to the closet, grabbed a t-shirt, a jacket, and a pair of sweat pants, and went into the bathroom.

When the door closed, Ichigo leaned heavily against it and sighed. Just because Grimmjow hadn't said it back doesn't mean he doesn't feel the same way. Right?

" _Maybe that's what he was going to say before Senna and Renji came in…"_  he thought, hoping it was true.

He put the clothes on the counter, turned on the water in the bathtub and undressed. After last night, the best thing he could ask for was a nice, hot, relaxing bath.

The tubs in these rooms were all quite large. It was like a mini Jacuzzi or something. Ichigo stepped in slowly, testing the water. It was just right, not too cold and not too hot. Closing his eyes tighthly and taking a deep breath, he submerged himself as far as he could go. Sometimes, a hot bath takes all the therapy you need, especially when your ass and lower back are feeling sore.

* * *

Renji, Senna, and Ichigo made their way into the lobby where the others were waiting for them. To Renji's surprise, Shuhei, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika were apparently tagging along.

"Hi Renji." Rangiku smiled.

She looked to Shuhei, who blushed furiously, and then back to him. Maybe having two of his crushes casually interacting in front of him was a bit much for him.

"Hey Rangiku. Where's Toshiro?"

"I-why does everybody always assume I know where he is?" when most everyone threw her a look she sighed agitatedly. "I think he's on his balcony, taking in the cold air."

"Toshiro-kun likes it cold more than anyone." Inoue giggled.

"So you guys are all joining us today huh?" Ichigo commented.

"Yea, little Ms. Death-In-Boots here made us." Yumichika said.

"I don't really mind." Shuhei said, subtly taking note of Renji's attire.

"I don't really care either way. It beats the hell out of spending all day in this damned place." Ikkaku added.

"It looks like everyone is about ready to go. I can have a limo come pick us up if you guys don't mind?" Rukia offered.

"Don't mind? Why would we? Go right ahead Rukia dear." Rangiku smiled widely, walking over to the shorter girl.

Ichigo pulled Shuhei to the side after Renji walked over to Rukia.

"Do you like Renji?" he asked.

"W-what makes you ask that?" Shuhei flustered.

"I don't know. You seem to. And there was that rumor last year. I'm not judging you. Actually, if you did, I'd be happy to support you." He smiled warmly.

"I…" glancing over to the redhead, Shuhei sighed, "I do. I've liked him since freshman year, but until last night, I thought he was straight."

"Wait, last night? You two hooked up?"

"We didn't have sex. And don't call it a 'hook up' please. It was a spur of the moment, I admit, but I kind of want more than that with him."

"Sounds to me like someone just needs to tell the big idiot." Senna interrupted.

"Senna?" Shuhei jumped.

"Yup. And I could tell you liked him a long time ago. You know, before I left. I think you should just tell him. I'm sure if things went well last night, they will keep going well. Who knows? You two might end up in a relationship."

"She's right. Renji is the kind of guy to go with whatever is thrown his way. And if I was in your shoes, I'd go for it. If Grimmjow wasn't around, I'd hit up his phone all the time." Ichigo admitted.

"Yuck. Why?" Senna asked.

"He's actually a pretty awesome guy Senna."

"Hm. Well, _besides_  that, he's dense. So make sure he knows what you mean if you decide to tell him."

"I…all right…"

"When the limo arrives, sit next to him. Talk to him. It's not that hard."

Shuhei looked from the two in front of him to the laughing man near the door that he had been yearning for. He would tell Renji how he felt by the end of the day, and if he rejected him, then oh well. In life, he realized, you can't have anything you really want unless you're willing to go out of your way to get it. This rule was especially true when it came to people you have feelings for.

"Hey, the limo is here!" Rangiku called.

"Now's your chance." Senna smiled, flashing a peace sign.

"Yeah."

Shuhei, followed by Senna and Ichigo, made his way over to the door. Senna, as inconspicuously as she could, grabbed Shuhei's arm and slid him inbetween Renji and Yumichika before they got in.

When they were all seated, she nudged Shuhei intending for him to say something.

"I-I can't! It's too quiet in here." He whispered.

"Just talk to him! I didn't say spill you heart out to him." She whispered back forcefully.

Ichigo asked Rukia if they could turn on the radio and she asked the driver to do so. He understood that casually talking to the guy you want to be with could be tough. It's even worse when you think everyone is listening. At least it wouldn't be too quiet with the radio on. Maybe then the others would even start talking.

To Senna's surprise, as soon as the radio came on, Shuhei started talking to Renji. She sat back and smiled. Her work was done, for now at least.

* * *

"Well well. It seems my little Grimmjow has come up short this month." Aizen smiled.

"Grimmjow? To be honest, I've monitored his supply and profit since he started here." Tousen commented, "In the beginning it seemed he wasn't short with money, but his supply came up short from time to time. Lately, however, he seemed to be on a perfect streak. I never imagined most of the merchandise would be missing this month. Do you think he has a plan of eluding you again?"

"For now, I'll monitor his proceeds personally. There's no need to make any impulsive decisions in this matter. That would only lead to unnecessary death. We wouldn't want that now would we?"

"N-no sir." Tousen answered, unsure if this was Aizen's attempt at sarcasm or if he was serious.

Loly and Luppi listened from the hallway. This was going better than expected. Aizen apparently had no intention of killing Grimmjow. If they kept this up, they could have their trophies sooner than later. If Aizen did take the Kurosaki boy, the redheaded girl would certainly be involved and may even show up at Los Noches. Loly could then take her revenge and end the girl's miserable life.

Luppi grinned from ear to ear. This was going just as planned. If Aizen wasn't going to kill Grimmjow, he would certainly punish him by locking him in the cells in the basement. That way he could make his way down there and have his way with the vulnerable. Besides that, that boy would likely be here too so he could take out his frustrations on him. What a beautiful plan. It had no flaws and he and Loly would get everything they wanted.

"Let's go. We don't want Tousen knowing we were eavesdropping." Loly commanded.

"Right. Aizen-sama is playing right into my plan. This wouldn't be possible without him."

"Grimmjow, poor fella. I'd hate to be in his shoes right now." Loly smirked.

To be honest, she had never liked Grimmjow. When she first started working in the office, he had totally ignored her. The only time they had any contact was that one time in the bathroom when he had casually fucked her senseless. After that, he didn't speak one word to her. That drove her out of her mind. Nobody who she had ever had only wanted to go with her once. But this bastard, this unbelievable piece of shit, had told her point blank he didn't want to have sex with her again. He had told her, and she remembered his exact words, "Listen, back off. I don't want to fuck you." The concept was something she wasn't used to. Nobody turned her down for a second go, ever.

Ever since that day, she had held a grudge she wasn't willing to let go of. A quality that she had been told a long time ago would one day be her undoing.

"Grimmjow you're all mine. Things will go back to how I like them soon…" Luppi hissed, grinding his teeth.

Flashback

" _This is Luppi. He's been working here for about a month now and I'm sending him out with you tonight Grimmjow." Aizen said calmly._

" _Whatever." Grimmjow responded._

_Luppi eyed Grimmjow down. Nobody should be that apathetic about meeting someone who could very well save their life. But for some reason, that made him want the other's attention more. Not only want it, but need it. To make him change his mind and actually notice him. That would be an accomplishment he could shine about._

" _Get going you two. The night is young but it won't be that way forever." Gin said._

_Grimmjow left the room as if nothing had happened. Luppi glowered at the door the other had just left out of, but followed none the less._

_After Grimmjow came back and then going out and doing his own share of the work, Luppi made his way back to the van. In the back, Grimmjow was sprawled out and near passing out. He had popped so many pills that night he didn't know his own name. As he went to take the next one, Luppi grabbed his arm._

" _That's enough Grimmjow. Don't want Aizen-sama grilling us for a shortage we can't compensate for. Especially not on my first night." He had done one or two pills, but nowhere near as many as the bluenette had. He was planning this out. He wanted to be in a more focused state of mind so he could take advantage of Grimmjow tonight. Even though he was a complete asshole, he was attractive._

" _Get your hands off me. Don'…tell me what…to do…" Grimmjow managed before his eyes closed. Earlier that night, Luppi had slipped a few sleeping pills in with the original ones. The fool hadn't even noticed._

_He saw his chance and took it. He crawled over Grimmjow and undid his belt._

" _Hope you don't mind if I suck you dry tonight my dear Grimmjow."_

End Flashback

"I can't help but feeling we wouldn't be in this mess if Grimmjow wasn't so attractive." He smirked.

"How'd it go?" Menoly asked when they entered the room.

"Just as planned. The stash we took didn't go unnoticed. Aizen-sama said he was going to monitor Grimmjow's profits  _himself_." Loly grinned.

"He's not going to kill Grimmjow is he?" she asked, only slightly curious.

"I'd kill him before he even made the thought to do that." Luppi answered hurriedly.

"That is if you could. Aizen-sama has eyes in the back of his head and a gun for a heart. There's no chance of killing him." Loly commented.

"Anyway, it shouldn't take too long for Aizen-sama to punish Grimmjow if his stock keeps going  _missing_. Aizen-sama is nothing more than a puppet on a lonely string in this plan." Luppi grinned.

Aizen stood at his office window and smirked, "I am God."

* * *

"Renji go away. You're so immature." Rangiku huffed.

"Ice queen." Yumichika sneered.

"What was that?"

Shuhei followed them silently. Everyone had split into two groups when they made it to Odori Park. Ichigo, Inoue, Ishida, Rukia, Senna, and Chad went to see the ice sculptures, while Renji, Ikkaku, Rangiku, Yumichika, and he went into the stores.

"Get lost!" Rangiku yelled.

"Hey Renji, let's go see the sculptures." Shuhei called.

"Huh? Why?"

" _Go_  Renji." Rangiku ordered.

"A-all right all right. Sheesh." He responded when she made to hit him.

When the two were successfully alone together, Shuhei decided to let his feelings be a bit more obvious to the redhead. Senna said he could be dense sometimes. Or was it all the time?

"So how you liking the festival?" he asked.

"Oh, it's cool. Some people have nothing better to do than sculpt ice, but it's decent none the less." Renji answered.

Shuhei let a smile escape, but shapened up when a group of students walked by.

" _If I want to be with Renji, I need to make it clear. I don't know any of these people and they don't know me."_  he thought.

As they slowly walked down the rows of statues, he moved closer and closer to Renji. Eventually it got to the point where the backs of their hands would grace each other with each step.

Shuhei could smell Renji's cologne from this close a range and it smelled amazing. He took note again of the headband, the sunglasses, the tight-fitting pants, the boots, the interesting tattoos, the pineapple-like pony-tail, all this you would usually find on Renji and Renji only, and felt his cheeks go warm despite the cold breeze blowing against them.

"Renji, do you like Rangiku? Like, like her like her?" he asked.

"What?" he laughed, "Of course not. I mean, she's hot, but I wouldn't want to date her. Why?"

"N-no reason. I just thought you might. You're always taunting her..."

"That's just because it's fun. She makes it too easy."

"Oh"

"C'mon. Let's go find Ichigo and the others."

Renji made to leave, but a grip on his wrist stopped him.

"No wait."

"What is it? Let's go I'm gettin' hungry."

"Renji, I…I need to tell you something…"

* * *

"You think he did it?" Senna asked Ichigo.

"Maybe. I can't tell."

"Oh. So I meant to ask you. Did things go well with Grimmjow last night?" she asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh stop being so coy. Did things go well?"

"…"

"Well?"

"We… we did it…"

"Oh my God! Yes! Yes!"

"Shh!"

"Was he gentle? I can't see that. I see him throwing you around and maybe choking you out a bit before getting a knife and-"

"What on earth goes on in that head of yours!"

"Anyway, I'm so happy for you! So what's he dong today?"

"I…I don't know."

Senna stopped dead and stared. "You don't know! Does that mean he broke up with you after…? He wasn't using you was he? I'll kill him!"

"N-no. That's not it. I just said something and I think I shouldn't have…He wasn't talking much after I did."

"Did you tell him you've seen bigger? Or that his jizz was too clumpy? You better watch your mouth. Things like that will send 'em packing."

"No! What are you-I don't even…Wait. This is all your fault!"

"MY fault? How's it  _my_  fault?" she asked, "He's  _your_  boyfriend!"

"When you…nevermind. The damage is done now."

"Kurosaki-kun! Come see this sculpture! It looks just like Kon!" Inoue chirped.

"You two seem to be getting along." Ishida commented when they arrived.

"Yea, we do that." Senna smiled.

"It's sweet to see Kurosaki-kun getting along with Senna. Friends shouldn't fight." Inoue smiled.

"Wait, is this sarcasm?" Senna asked cluelessly.

*BRRM BRRM* *BRMM BRMM*

Ichigo reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

1 New Message

Sender: Grimmjow Jaegerjaques

Ichigo read and reread the info before opening it, heart beating a mile per second. The bluenette hadn't spoken to him since this morning before Senna and Renji interrupted them. Even as he left the room for the festival with Renji and Senna, Grimmjow remained somewhat aloof. Now he was sending him a text.

" _Hey, we need to talk. Meet me at the hot springs later tonight."_

Did Grimmjow want to break up? Had his confession ruined everything?

It takes two halves to make a whole, so was Grimmjow holding out on his end…?

* * *

"What is it Shuhei?"

"Renji…I…uh…nevermind."

"Well come on. I'm starving. You must be too. I haven't seen you eat at all today and it's like, four thirty."

Shuhei flustered at those words. Renji had actually been paying attention to him today. Well, maybe their group and not him specifically, but they had been together since this morning almost the whole day through.

"Renji."

"Yea?" the redhead responded, turning his attention from the fast food restaurants to Shuhei.

With the other's full attention, Shuhei became increasingly nervous. Then, he thought about what must have happened between Ichigo and Grimmjow.  _"And they're together now…"_  he thought. It's never easy admitting your feelings for someone, especially at the thought of ruining the friendship, but sometimes you have to take a crazy chance…

"Renji, I…want to go out with you. I really like you. I-I mean, I've liked you since freshman year and, if I'm honest, it's been even before then, but I've always been too scared to tell you."

"What? Are you serious Shuhei?"

"Yeah. And even if you don't like me that way, I want us to still be friends."

Renji paused. This was a bit unexpected, but it was a pleasant surprise. After what they did together last night and now this was happening? It wasn't like he didn't like Shuhei, he actually had at some point, but he stuffed those feelings away in a drawer long ago. They just so happened to be a part of his denial phase, so it was understandable that he locked them away. Renji had been denying himself the liberation of acceptance for about two and a half years now. Looking at him intently for the first time in years, he could admit Shuhei had developed quite nicely since sophomore year. He had grown a little taller and had a better figure too. Playing for the baseball team must've helped him a lot.

But for someone to like him since middle school, before his voice deepened, before he started working out and playing soccer, or even before the toattoos was a long journey to say the least. To keep silent about them, and even feint having them, must have been difficult. Not to mention his feelings must have been true. It's hard to like someone for years, and then to even like them before they got hot at that. That was all he needed to know to take the next step.

"I'll do it."

"What?"

"I'll go out with you." Renji smiled.

"I…this is…o-okay. All right." Shuhuei paused for a moment, reality seemingly lost, before thinking of what to say next, "So, we're like, boyfriends then?"

"Yea, that's kind of what 'going out' means." He laughed.

"C-cool."

"Oh, and just so we're clear, I'm the man." The redhead smirked.


	13. Flight of Blissful Sparks

Ichigo, having just parted ways with his friends, made his way to the hot springs in the hotel. It was about eight o'clock now and many of his classmates were returning from the first day of the festival. He had even run into Keigo and the others on his way downstairs. Apparently, Mizuiro and Michiru had been talking to each other more than usual today. He'd have to remember to tell the girls about this little development later since it was an affair they were really interested in.

When he reached the lobby, he slowed his pace. He would reach his destination in a few minutes and he could feel his heart beating uncontrollably in his chest.

" _Why is my heart always going crazy about Grimmjow? It seems he's always got me nervous and wondering if our relationship is over."_  He thought, somewhat angrily.

After getting past the attendants and the other hot springs goers, Ichigo made his way further and further into the hallway of rooms. The place was immense to say the least. It was a wonder it fit into the hotel.

"Kurosaki, over here."

Said orange-head turned when he heard his name called.

"Gr-grimm?"

Grimmjow stepped out from behind a door, completely nude, with a wide smirk on his face.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo yelled, running and shoving him back into the room before quickly shutting the door.

"What?" he grinned.

"Are you some kind of feral child or something? You can't do things like that! There were people around! And I'm sure they got a good look at you too!" Ichigo yelled, catching his breath.

"So? I ain't ashamed. If they were looking it's 'cause they wanted to. Besides, I'm proud of Grimmjow junior."

"You named it… I can't believe we're together…" Ichigo facepalmed.

"Really? Hm. I can."

That statement caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting such a tender response from the other. Saying things like that hadn't always been Grimmjow's forte. To be honest, it never really had. It even made him feel bad for what he just said.

"So why a hot spring? And why are you naked?"

"Oh, I rented this room just for us."

"Why…?"

"Because, I want to have some fun. Besides, I need to talk to you."

"What about?"

Grimmjow jumped into the water and then reemerged, "Catch me first!" he said playfully.

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope! Now get naked or I'm gonna splash you."

"These are your clothes, not mine. And besides, what if I were to just leave?" he bated.

"Don't"

"Yes I am and there's nothing you can do to catch-wait…what?"

"I said don't. I rented this room tonight just for us and I'd really like it if you stayed with me."

What was going on? It was as if he had stepped into some parallel universe. Grimmjow always got his way through force so why was he acting this way tonight? He was being so gentle and calm and…and  _nice_. This was completely out of character for him.

"O-okay…"

Ichigo stepped nervously out of his clothes, and then into the heated water. How Grimmjow had just jumped in was beyond him, and those rumors, he was sure the bluenette himself started, that he was a demon didn't seem so obscure now.

Grimmjow backed away when he came near.

"What's up with you Grimmjow? You're acting really weird tonight. Are you sick or…in some kind of trouble?"

"No, I'm fine. I just wanna relax a bit. Let's play Marco Polo."

"Childish…"

"Just do it."

"Now you're being more like yourself." The orange-head smirked.

"Close your eyes and start already."

Doing as he was told, with a bit of fear creeping upon him, Ichigo closed his eyes. "Marco."

"Polo."

He followed the sound of Grimmjow's voice, "Marco."

"Polo."

"Marco."

"Polo."

"Marco."

When the other got close, Grimmjow ducked under the water and came up silently behind him.

"M-marco…?" Ichigo called, reaching his arms out further.

"Polo." He whispered in the boy's ear, wrapping his arms around his smaller frame.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo jumped, "What are you…?"

"I'm not mad at you Kurosaki."

"What?"

"I'm not mad. About this morning when you said you loved me. I was never mad." He spoke calmly into Ichigo's neck.

"Oh…I thought you were…"

"I wasn't. I just wasn't expecting you to say that."

"Oh"

"But…that doesn't mean that I don't love you too." Brown eyes went wide, "I do. I love you more than anything in this crazy world, even my car."

"Your car?" he joked.

"Of course. You don't have a price tag, or a monthly note." Grimmjow smirked.

Ichigo felt himself getting teary so he opened his eyes wide to clear them out. He couldn't let himself seem too soft, even for something like this. But after giving in and closing them, he allowed himself to fall back into Grimmjow's grasp.

"I was starting to think you didn't feel that way about me."

"This is new to me, but that doesn't mean I don't have feelings. I can tell when something means a lot to me, Kurosaki."

"Grimm-"

"You know, you're the first person who's said that to me in years."

Ichigo spun around, a slight hurt look on his face. "You're not serious?"

"Eh, I get by without all the emotions. I mean, look at me. I'm fine aren't I?"

Ichigo shook his head and moved closer, "Maybe it's not what you can see that's what's messed up…" he put his finger to Grimmjow's forehead.

"What are you insinuating?"

"No, forget it."

"Kurosaki…"

"Yea?"

Grimmjow's face held a look that made it seem like he was trying to avoid something. He became increasingly red in the face and even on his body.

"Uh, I've never…"

"Never…?" he echoed, drawing out the word.

"I've never had sex in a hot spring before! There! I said it!" The bluenette admitted, ashamed.

"W-what? I thought you were going to say something cool like 'I've never said I love you before'!"

"Why would I say that? I mean, I do have a family, even if we don't talk much."

"Your parents? You mean to tell me you tell your dad you love him?" Ichigo asked, skeptically.

"No way! I mean like Neliel and my extended family when I see them."

"Oh, well you should say it to your parents. You only get one pair… Maybe we could work on your relationship with them…together. They're irreplaceable. I know I'd give anything to see my mom again and tell her…"

"Kurosaki…"

"But let's relax and enjoy this moment. No need to bring the mood down. Besides, I thought you wanted to pop your 'having sex in a hot springs' cherry."

Blue eyes flashed at the statement. Grimmjow's familiar smirk had finally reappeared. He grabbed Ichigo by the arm and led him to the edge of the spring and hoisted him onto the surface.

"Hm…" Grimmjow brought his hand to his chin, stuck in thought for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I thought I had to lube you up, but the water already did it for me."

"Huh? Water can…?"

"Especially hot water." The bluenette smirked.

He crawled out of the water over to the boy and laid him on his back before trailing kisses down his body. He made sure to look back into Ichigo's eyes before he brought his member into his mouth.

Said orange-head threw his head back and moaned. Grimmjow's mouth was magic. But not only now, even when he spoke Ichigo couldn't help but pay attention. This was not the case all the time of course, but for those occasions when Grimmjow proved his mouth could do more than spout curse words Ichigo found himself glad to be with him.

"Grimm, I'm getting close…"

At that, Grimmjow stopped his ministrations which successfully earned him a confused look from the other.

"Don't want you losing it too quick. We do  _that_  together." He smirked.

Another weird statement. Grimmjow was acting weird tonight, there was no doubt. Normally he wouldn't really care when Ichigo came, just so long as he did. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Grimmjow, what is going on?" he said, pushing him away, "You're acting so nice and considerate tonight…Are you sure you're okay?"

"There's nothing wrong Kurosaki. I just…I want tonight to be fucking amazing because we may never get to do this again. Here we are, in a Sapporo hot spring, naked and wanting. If I'm gonna remember this night, I'm gonna remember the best damned night I can."

"Well, I get that…but why the attitude change?"

"I fucking like you Kurosaki. Can't I be nice just once? Especially after I just told you the most important three words a relationship was ever known to have."

"…Okay. Maybe Mr. Nice Grimmjow should come out and play more often." Ichigo grinned.

"Anyway, let's get back to business shall we?"

"Right"

Grimmjow's familiar grin returned as he crawled closer again and leaned over Ichigo. He could see the boy was now turning red, possibly from the heat, and it gave him a slight pleasurable feeling. Seeing Kurosaki below him, sweating and in need…

"All right…here I go." He managed.

Without wasting any more time he positioned himself at the boy's entrance and slid himself in. It was indeed easier than last night. With all the time they spent in the water it was no surprise. Grimmjow took full advantage of this and began a slow, steady pace moving in and out of Ichigo.

Ichigo extended his arms and wrapped them around the bluenette's neck, tangling his fingers in his hair. When he felt Grimmjow increase his speed he moaned audibly. He couldn't take it. The space between them needed to be closed. Not giving it a second thought, he pulled the man closer to him until their torsos met.

"Sweat on sweat huh Kurosaki." Grimmjow soothed, slowing down again.

"Ugh…it's so hot…but I don't care. I need you close to me."

Grimmjow grinned. He had definitely never heard anyone say that before, especially not during sex. This was a new plateau he had reached and he was intent on staying for a while. He rested his face on the crook in Ichigo's neck then started biting and sucking violently.

"Ah! Grimm! That fucking hurts!" the orange-head complained.

"Heh, pussy." None the less, he regressed to simply sucking since Kurosaki was being a pansy.

"Sh-shut up! Ugh!" he moaned when the other began pounding him faster and harder.

"Like that?" he mocked, breathing heavily into the boy's neck.

"H-hit that spot again…" Ichigo moaned.

Doing just that, Grimmjow angled himself so he could hit the spot and give Ichigo all the pleasure he could.

Ichigo brought one of his hands back down to his member and stroked it in perfect rhythm with Grimmjow's. All the heat was making it so much worse. He could feel his end but he wanted to save it for the man laying on top of him.

"Grimm, I'm close…"

"Me too."

When the bluenette pulled himself out, Ichigo threw his head back and panted. He couldn't help but feel empty when the other left him.

Grimmjow grabbed the boy's member and aggressively stroked it. Ichigo got the idea and sat up to return the favor. After a few heated and intense moments of endurance, Ichigo came first, followed by Grimmjow who gave a low grunt.

The orange-head surveyed his hand and arm for a few moments, which were covered in Grimmjow's cum. He brought it up to his mouth and gave a lick, but stopped shortly after.

"What's wrong Kurosaki? Don't like my taste?" he grinned.

"N-no, it's not that…it's just a little…well…not hot anymore…"

The larger man kept eye contact with Ichigo while bringing his own hand up and licking it clean in as sexual a manner as he could manage.

"See? No big deal."

"Maybe for you. Anyway, I gotta clean this off…it'd be gross of me to just wash it in the water… Other people will use this room." the orange-head quarreled with himself.

Grimmjow crawled closer to him, took his arm and quickly cleared it with his tongue. He looked at the boy through half-lidded eyes before grabbing him by the back of his neck and kissing him violently. When they parted he smirked, "You're such a pansy Kurosaki. I lasted longer than you by the way."

Ichigo scowled and became increasingly red when the other blew his breath in his face. He quickly pushed Grimmjow into the hot water and stood as best he could. He was still not used to  _that_  area being penetrated so his balance was paying the price.

"How's that? If you can hear me, that's payback  _dick_." He confidently retorted.

A hand shot out of the murky water, grabbed his ankle and yanked him in. Grimmjow reemerged laughing hysterically. When Ichigo swam back up, he treaded over to the bluenette and splashed him with the biggest armful of water he could muster. This only made Grimmjow laugh harder.

"You only lasted a few  _milliseconds_ more than I did you idiot!"

"I still beat you!"

"You are so childish sometimes!"

Not able to take anymore of Grimmjow's mocking laughter, Ichigo swam over to the shallow end and crawled out of the water.

"A-all right! Fuck! I-I'm…sorry…"

"What? Did you just-"

"Forget it! Anyway, don't leave."

"But it's getting late anyway."

"Wanna stay in my room tonight? Maybe watch a movie?" Grimmjow spoke as he treaded his way to the shallow end.

"…Yeah, that…that sounds good." He smiled. Grimmjow was surprisingly easy to take advantage of.

But immediately after the idea crossed his mind, Ichigo felt terrible. He may even have abandonment issues because of his parents. That could be the reason he seemed so hesitant to be with anyone. It  _did_  take more than what was necessary for him to convince him to be with him before…

No matter how fine he seemed right now, inside, Grimmjow may not have even noticed how torn up he was. This caused Ichigo to do what he did next. When the other approached with that clueless smirk on his face, the boy grabbed him into a hug, stroking his back soothingly. His face rested comfortably on his chest, regret for his words overwhelming him.

"What's up with you all of a sudden?"

"You poor thing…I-I'll stay with you. I'll never abandon you Grimm."

"The fuck does that mean?"

"…Nothing…just go with it you idiot."

"I-I don't think it's okay for you to talk to me that way Kurosaki." He spoke, burying his nose in the boy's orange locks of hair.

"Anyway, let's go watch that movie."

* * *

"You and Shuhei huh?" Rukia questioned.

"Yea, I wanted to tell Ichigo, but I couldn't find him after the festival." Renji answered.

"I hope you two can make each other happy. And don't do anything stupid Renji! He's liked you for a long time."

"I won't. Do you know where Ichigo went by the way? I wanna tell him."

"Oh, he went to see Grimmjow. He seemed pretty serious so I wouldn't bother them tonight. I think you can wait until tomorrow, especially with Shuhei waiting." She advised.

"I guess you're right. And you sure you're not jealous?"

"I'm two hundred percent positive I'm not. Now can I go to my room now? I'm tired, it's like twelve o'clock."

"I'll walk you." He offered.

"Oh, and maybe you should stay in Ichigo and Shuhei's room tonight. Just a hunch I have..."

"What hunch?"

"Boys can be so clueless, even about their favorite activity." She shook her head as she spoke.

* * *

Grimmjow slid his keycard and unlocked the door to his and Renji's room. He walked in first and when he saw no sign of the redhead, he grinned.

"So, what movie do you want to watch?"

"You want to watch Saw?"

"Yea…a twisted horror/suspense film on this romantic night sounds just wonderful." Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Um, okay. I take that as a yes?"

"No I don't want to watch Saw! Can't you think of something more normal and less freaky?"

"Hm, we could see if the service has The Tourist. It's pretty action packed and besides that, Angelina Jolie is in it so-"

"She doesn't automatically make a movie great."

"Che, whatever… Not even what I was gonna say… Anyway, the plot twist will throw even you."

"Fine, put it on and we'll see."

"Oh yes we will. After this we can watch The Human Centipede."

"You're more twisted than I originally thought…"

"Is  _that_  a yes?"

"If you turn that movie on, I'm leaving."

"But, you said you wouldn't abandon me…"

"Y-youre-This is totally different! And don't throw my words back at me."

"You make it so easy."

"Shut up…"

* * *

Ichigo stared intently at the screen as the credits rolled wondering what just happened.

"I-he was-"

"Told you. Now admit it, it was a good movie. Even you didn't see that coming did you?"

"…Sure you could say that. But as far as movies go, it was pretty average."

"Now, The Human Centipede!"

"I said no. Can we just watch tv now?"

"Fine, have it your way."

Grimmjow sprawled himself out on the bed and grabbed the remote. He flipped through the channels until he found a decent show to watch.

"Cool, I like this show." Ichigo smiled, falling onto his back next to Grimmjow.

"You like The Office?"

"Yea, it's always good for a laugh."

"You're such a geek."

Ichigo turned on his side and stared straight into blue eyes. He continued to do so for quite a while. He was analyzing. Figuring why Grimmjow was the way he was. It wasn't a matter of complaining or anything, he was just curious. Why did he say the things he said? Why did he do the things he did? Why was he so handsome?

It dawned on him that he may have had a rough childhood. The way he described it, it seemed like his parents paid him little to no mind growing up. Maybe that was the reason he turned to drugs. If he couldn't get his parent's attention, then maybe he figured he could get away with something so reckless. It could have even been a cry for help. But in the end, it seemed his father already knew about his habits so that attempt failed because he still looked down on Grimmjow.

The next thing he wondered was how the man came to be bisexual. Who had he had contact with that would spark his interest in men as well as women? Well, the attraction to women was natural. But who had he-

"If it's a staring contest you're after, you ain't gonna win."

"…"

"Kurosaki…"

"Who turned you on to guys Grimm?"

"What?"

"Oh, I can't believe I said that. But I am curious. When did you figure out you liked guys and who caused it?"

"Well, if you must know, it was Stark."

"Stark? The guy with brown hair?"

"Yeah. It was middle school and we were just stupid, horny kids. All we did was jack off together and maybe the occasional blowjob."

"Oh. Why didn't you two get together then?"

"We decided to end those little adventures. Neither of us knew what we were getting into anyway. We're better off as friends."

"He's pretty hot if you ask me. Looks like you missed out." Ichigo joked, lightly touching his fist to the other's face.

"Nah, I'm okay with the way things are now. He's nowhere near as interesting as you, and I can't fight with him."

"I'm flattered…but we don't physically fight."

"Even so, he won't argue with me. He's not the type. The dog just won't hunt." He laughed.

"You are such a weirdo… Wait, so is he into guys?"

"Probably. I mean, he gave good head. I hope he didn't let those talents go to waste."

"That's saying a bit much…"

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, I knew I liked guys since middle school. I had the biggest crush on Keigo, if you tell him I'll kill you and deny it until the day I die, and then Renji when high school started."

"Why do you like him?"

"I don't. Not anymore."

"No, I mean, why are you friends with him? He's such an idiot."

"Seems I'm surrounded by those nowadays…" He commented, putting his hand on the bluenette's chest.

"Tell me about it. I can't stand that orange-eyed girl."

"She's not so bad. Besides, you're no more mature than she is. I learned that tonight."

"Whatever."

"Stop grilling my friends. Your buddies aren't the best either. Especially that Nnoitora."

"Change of subject."

"Yea, when it's time to discuss your boneheaded friends."

"Look, all buddies and feelings about them aside, it'll always be you and me. Keep that in that pretty little head of yours k?"

" _I wouldn't have it any other way…"_ Ichigo thought, "I love you Grimm." He spoke.

"I love you too Kurosaki."

"You wanna stay in tomorrow? I'm not in the mood for the festival."

"Sure"

"Good"

Ichigo yawned and looked over to the tv. A news rerun was on and the weather lady was saying something about a blizzard approaching. No sun for a few days then. The world needs its sunshine to make people happy and lively, especially in the winter. Miss Misato would probably make a big deal about staying safe when they got back to Karakura.

The next thing she reported was the closures of schools. Karakura was at the top of the list. At least they would have no school. It was all really ominous and foreboding, but the late hour was getting the better of the boys. Grimmjow grabbed hold of Ichigo and pulled him up to the head of the bed then pulled the covers over them.

"Sleep well Kurosaki."

"Yeah, you too Grimmjow."

"Oh, and if you want to have another go, that'd be cool." The bluenette suggested.

"Good night Grimmjow."


	14. Maelstrom Effect

"Morning Grimmjow! How was Sapporo?" Neliel spoke with an excited smile when she saw him emerge from his room, "You should come out of there more often so we can actually, you know, interact."

Grimmjow stretched and cracked his back as he walked into the kitchen. After he got back home two days ago, all he wanted to do was sleep. The trip had been long, but the worst part was the fact that they had arrived back in Karakura late at night. A nice slumber was calling his name when he got back to his house that night.

He headed to the refrigerator, but quickly paused when he got past the counters to take note of what the girl had on. She was wearing a green hoodie and socks, nothing more. Luckily the hoodie covered her down past her thighs.

"It was fine. Where's dad?" he asked, not really interested.

"Um, I think he went on a trip to Hokkaido. He said he'll be back in about two weeks."

"Greeeat."

"Anyway, did you have fun with Itsygo?"

Blue eyes flashed to the giggiling girl who was in the midst of making hot chocolate. "Even though that's not his name… How do you know anything about him?"

"I'm your little sister Grimmjow. It's my job to meddle. Besides, he's been here lots of times. Lucky for you dad never saw him because I kept him preoccupied." She smiled.

"Keep your nose in your phone and out of my business."

"You're so mean Grimmjow! Don't worry, it'll be just you and me for two weeks so I know you'll change your attitude when it's time to eat!"

"In your dreams." He retorted, pulling down a box of cereal from the refrigerator top.

* * *

"Woo we're out of school for a week! I stayed up so late last night." Yuzu cheered as she bounced on the couch.

"That doesn't mean you should skip out on your studies." Ichigo commented, taking a seat next to Karin.

"Well of course not Onii-chan! But it's nice that we can go to sleep later and wake up when we want to. Right Karin?"

"Well, if you do then I will too. You're the one who makes the breakfast so if we get up earlier than you that'd mean we'd be hungry." Karing smiled.

"Oh, and you never told us how your trip went Onii-chan. Did you have fun?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. It was interesting to say the least." Ichigo replied, cheeks getting warm.

"Oh. How were the sculptures? I wish we could have gone to see them!"

"They were pretty good. Inoue and Rukia took lots of pictures so I'll download them for you two to see."

"How was Grimmjow?" Karin asked.

"O-oh, he was fine. I barely saw him though." He lied.

"What? That's so weird! He's your boyfriend and you barely saw him?" Yuzu screeched.

"He was busy I guess. Can we talk about something else please?"

*BRMM BRMM*

Ichigo pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. He had received a text message from Inoue.

" _Kurosaki-kun would you like to go with me to the store? I'd like to buy some things but I'll need help carrying them home. Especially in this weather. I'll make you something nice I promise!"_

Ichigo smiled and went to reply, but then his phone vibrated again. A new message from Ishida.

" _Kurosaki, I finally have a plan. We need to pick some things up from the store though so please bring your own money."_

Thinking quickly, he responded to both texts by telling them to meet him there.

"What's that?" Yuzu asked over his shoulder.

"N-nothing! What did you see?" he jumped.

"*Gasp* Dad! Ichigo has dirty pictures on his phone!" she called.

"T-thanks a lot Yuzu! I have to go!" Ichigo quickly made his way to the door, grabbed a coat, and exited his home. The last thing he needed was for his dad to get into his business.

* * *

"Oh! Ishida-kun! Good morning!" Inoue called when she saw him approaching her in the store.

"Good morning Inoue-san. Are you here to get groceries?" he inquired.

"Mhmm! I need Kurosaki-kun's help, and if you wouldn't mind, yours as well."

"No I don't mind. But why not ask Sado?"

"He's out of town at the moment and won't be back for a few days. Besides, I'm making a surprise dish for him. Well, for all of you actually, but I can't tell you what it is."

"Oh really…?"

"Inoue! Ishida!" Ichigo shouted when he entered the store.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue smiled.

"Hey could you two keep your voices down? People are starting to stare."

"So? It's not like this is some robbery or drug deal."

"I feel bad for the people who get caught up in those kinds of things…" Inoue frowned.

"Anyway, I need to speak with Kurosaki Inoue-san. We'll be in the electronics center."

"Hai!" Inoue sang before she grabbed a basket and headed off to the food section.

"So, before I tell you about this plan, you need to know that it is risky. People could die…" Ishida spoke quietly.

"What kind of plan is that? I thought you were a genius. Genuises don't have faulty plans." Ichigo enticed.

"Would you-It's a foolproof plan. It's just really risky. If it were to be found out, Jaegerjaques would be killed."

"…I don't like it already."

"Do you have your money?"

"Well, I brought a hundred-"

"More than enough. Now, I just need to know if Jaegerjaques will be cutting his hair anytime soon. Do you know?"

"Well sheesh, I'm not his hairstylist. But since I've known him he's only had his ends trimmed up. Nothing big."

"Good. This will work out perfectly." Ishida adjusted his glasses and began walking over to the electronics.

"What will? Tell me already."

"Sure, but here's my last question. Has Jaegerjaques ever killed anybody?"

Ichigo froze. He wasn't sure. Grimmjow was indeed sadistic, and a little crazy, but it didn't seem like he'd ever kill anyone.

"No."

"Okay, good. Here's the plan then…"

* * *

"Thanks so much for the help you guys! I'll be sure to put extra strawberry sauce into your dishes!" Inoue chirped at her door.

"…"

"…"

"Would you like to come in?" she offered.

"No, sorry Inoue. I have some things to do. I'll come visit you tomorrow." Ichigo apologized.

"I can't Inoue-san. I have a lot of studying to do today."

"Oh, all right. See you soon then." She smiled as she entered her apartment and closed the door with a wave.

"Take action as soon as you can, and good luck Kurosaki. And also to Jaegerjaques." Ishida commented, taking his leave.

"Thanks. See you later Ishida."

Ichigo and Ishida no sooner went their separate ways, each having a specific task to fulfill.

* * *

Inoue unpacked the many grocery bags in her kitchen. She put away the sauces and stored the spices in the cabinet. After emptiying the last bag, she began frantically panicking.

"I forgot the special ingredient! How could I?"

She fell to the floor and got watery-eyed. The dishes just wouldn't be complete without her special ingredient.

"N-no! No crying! I'll just have to go back to the store and get it!"

With that, Inoue put her boots and coat back on and hurried out the door. She was in such a rush that she forgot to lock it.

* * *

Aizen sat comfortably by the window in his office. He had a nice clear view of the city thanks to the high elevation of his building. It had been quite snowy and the blizzard was only just beginning.

He flashed his attention to the door when he heard a knock.

"Do come in Tousen."

Tousen entered and bowed before speaking.

"Aizen-sama, the Karakura students returned from their trip two days ago. Most everyone has come back to at least see if there was any work besides Grimmjow." Tousen spoke, walking over to the man's desk.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that."

"What do you want to do? I honestly think he is trying to avoid you because he did take more than he sold for the last month. Well, besides the week he was gone. I went back to check his profit and he was even short there."

"I thought I told you that I would be monitoring those things. Never the less, he just returned. I'd like to observe him a little longer before I make any decisions."

"But sir, I've received reports that Grimmjow also stole files form Project Hogyoku."

Aizen turned his head swiftly, surprise taking hold of him for a moment.

"Who told you this?"

"It was Gin sir. He said one of the assistants told him that they saw him entering the restricted facility on the lower floor."

"Oh really? Well then…"

"What course of action would you like to take?"

"Hm. Give him a call. If he answers, then he's innocent. And if that's the case, I'd like to speak personally with the assistant who gave the report. If he doesn't, then he is guilty. At that point it will be time to set my plan in motion."

* * *

Grimmjow lie comfortably on his bed. He had opened the blinds in his room so he could watch the snowstorm outside and it had turned out to be more relaxing than he thought it would be. The wind blowing and snow falling made the bluenette appreciate the fact that he actually had a roof over his head, even if he couldn't stand the man responsible for that.

But all he could think about now was a way out. There had to be one. Even if he were to be killed, if he could take Aizen down and protect everyone, then his work would be done. But deep in his heart, Grimmjow was starting to believe that he didn't want to die. He wanted to live. He wanted to live and have a future with Kurosaki.

The ringing of his phone brought him out of his trance. He took it from under his pillow and shook his head.

"Speak of the devil…"

It was an extension of a number from Los Noches. Likely Tousen though, Aizen wasn't known to make too many calls. Grimmjow hated Tousen down to the fiber of his being. He was such a prick when Aizen wasn't around. Hell, he was a prick when Aizen  _was_  around. He hit the ignore button and threw the phone to the other side of the room.

He didn't have time to deal with that asshole. It was nap time.

"Grimmjow! Your boyfriend's here!" Neliel called.

Grimmjow threw his covers back and trotted out of his room.

"Nice outfit." Ichigo teased, pointing out the fact that the man was wearing nothing but a shirt, a pair of socks, and boxers.

"Shut up. The freaking heater won't turn off. Why are you out in the cold weather anyway?"

"I came to see you."

"Oh how romantic." Neliel commented with that familiar, awestruck femenine voice.

"Don't swoon goat face." Grimmjow rolled his eyes, making his way back to his room.

"I need to talk to you." Ichigo said as he followed the other, glancing back at the girl in the living room.

The two walked down the hallway and silently entered Grimmjow's room.

"Are you hot?" the bluenette asked.

"I can take my coat off. I'll be okay."

Grimmjow sat nonchalantly on his bed and flipped on the television.

"So what you to talk about?"

"Oh, a few things. First, come over here." He gestured from the other side of the bed.

"Why?"

"Just come on."

When the other came and sat next to him, Ichigo grabbed his head, leaned him forward, and pulled out a hairbrush.

"O-OW! What the hell?"

"Argh! Do you…ever…comb this mess of hair! Sheesh!" he asked frustratedly as he yanked the brush through the tangles.

"Wh-ow-what the fuck are you doing this for anyway?"

"I thought I'd do you a favor, but this is more than I was expecting."

"Ow! The shit hurts!"

"Done." Ichigo sighed, "Don't get any haircuts for a while okay."

"What if I do?"

"Then no sex."

Grimmjow's eyes went wide. He knew better than to test Kurosaki. He'd probably go as far as to wear a nun's outfit when he came around.  _"Even with men you still get the holding out on sex bribe…"_  he thought.

"Okay. I won't touch it."

"Perfect. Now, there's something serious I need to ask you."

"Go for it."

Ichigo huffed and became much more serious. This wasn't something he was happy for doing, but it had to be done.

"Have you ever killed anybody Grimmjow?"

"What makes you ask?" he averted.

"Yes or no!"

"Well, I've kicked a lot of asses and even put some people on the stretcher, but no, I've never killed anybody."

That was a relief. At least what he had told Ishida was true. That was all that was important. If he had killed anybody, the plan would very easily fall apart.

"Although I don't know if that guy in the warehouse got out…"

"We'll assume he did."

"Your call."

"What about Aizen? Has he killed anybody?"

Grimmjow immediately laughed after hearing that. He fell over onto his side and closed his eyes he was getting such a kick out of it.

"Answer the question!"

"What makes you think he  _hasn't_  killed anybody? He's got a whole program he uses to keep track of who he kills."

"A program?"

Grimmjow did his best to stop laughing. What a foolish thing to be asking. Even Kurosaki should know that even Aizen has a few skeletons. Maybe even a graveyard, no pun intended. He became slightly suspicious of the other's motives.

"Yes a program. Project Hogyoku."

"Why would he have such a thing?"

"For alibis. He keeps a perfect record of who he's killed, how he killed them, and why he did it. Oh, and of course, most of the victims were killed from bullets to the head."

"And alibis for himself I take it?"

"Of course. That's one of the reasons the cops can't pin him down. He's even framed other people for the murders he's committed."

"How messed up…"

"I've even heard he has pictures of the corpses before they were tossed. I've never seen the files myself though."

"Do you know anything about a man who died in a cave?"

"Yeah. Aizen's greatest achievement. He sent the guy to that cave. He had injected the guy with some enzymes to make him uncontrollably suicidal. Then he promised him there was a stash of weed waiting for him in a cave out near the countryside. It was his way of dealing with the guy without really getting his own hands dirty. Got off Scott Free with that one."

"The police and newscasters think it was a suicide. Everyone else thinks they were lying about the self inflicted wounds and believe there are cannibals in that cave. But it doesn't really surprise me that Aizen is the culprit."

"Yea, the guy was threatening to go to the cops and sell him out, so he eliminated him. That's the reason most of his clients wind up dead anyway. They think they're gonna do business with him and then bribe him out of some cash by threatening to go to the cops, but he's using  _them_  the whole time. Once they're dead, all their profits are collected and, if possible, their remains are discarded."

Ichigo shuddered. Grimmjow spoke of this as though it was natural; like it happened every day. Even though he wasn't a client, Grimmjow was involved with the snake. What if he was to wind up dead and his body was found on some rocky beach or in a cave? The thought alone was too much for him to bear.

"Would Aizen ever do something like that to you?" he asked, concern blatant in his voice.

"Probably."

"Grimmjow!"

"What? This is misery business, not sunshine and let's all go pick flowers business."

"How would you feel if Aizen killed me? Or even thought about killing me."

"I'd wanna kill the bastard."

"Well I feel the same way. The thought of you dead in some shady place scares me half to death Grimm."

"I'm not scared to die. I'm just living until my number is up."

"I-I can't talk about this anymore."

"Good. I wanted to watch tv anyway."

"By the way, I told Ishida and he's thought up a plan to-"

"What! I didn't want you to let your fucking friends get involved in this! It's bad enough you are!" Grimmjow flared.

"I didn't know what else to do!"

"Just-just go home Kurosaki! Keep your little friends out of this!"

Ichigo gasped. The bonehead hadn't even allowed him to tell him what the plan was!

"Go home Kurosaki."

"But-"

"Go!"

"Fine!" he shouted, standing abruptly and leaving the room.

After a few seconds, Grimmjow got up and ran after him. "And you stay out of this too! I don't need your fucking help!" he shouted out the front door the other had just left through before slamming it.

"Was that another churchy person?" Neliel asked, rounding the corner with a smore in her hand.

"Go…do whatever it is you were doing!" Grimmjow shouted, walking past her and back into his room, making sure to slam the door shut.

Kurosaki was such an idiot! Why would he go and get old four-eyes involved in this? Now he was sure to be seeing cops soon. Knowing that goody-goody, he was sure to go straight to them and squeal.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he shouted and punched a hole in the wall.

What to do? What to do? What to do?

He scrambled to the floor to find his phone and when he did, he dialed the number to Aizen's office. Ring after ring he got no response.

"Shit!"

He had called at least four times and got no answer. Aizen was usually in that damned office so he had to be ignoring him which was not a good sign in the least.

With nothing left to do, Gimmjow dressed quickly, grabbed his keys and ran to the garage. He would have to go and stop Kurosaki. His life was now in danger.

* * *

Inoue walked happily back from the store with her bag. Now she could cook the best dish she had ever made and she would finally make Ichigo admit that she was on par with Yuzu.

The wind blew heavily against her, as if telling her not to return to her house. She took heavy steps against it. The girl was always trying to prove she was strong, even in the silliest of tasks, like walking against the wind.

"Oh leave me alone wind! I have food to go and make!" she squealed.

The wind, in a seemingly livid response, blew so hard it lifted her a few centimeters off the ground. She landed on her feet wide-eyed.

Not willing to give up, she kept going. When she finally reached her apartment, she smiled and ran to her door. When she tried to unlock it, she discovered that it was already open.

"Oops. I can be so forgetful sometimes. I should remember to lock this door or something might happen…"

She entered her apartment and headed straight to the kitchen.

"Now let's get started!" she chirped, packed full of energy.

As she took out ingredients from her cabinet, she didn't notice the large dark figure creeping up behind her. Zommari pulled from behind him a chloroform mask and walked directly up behind her.

When she turned around with the ingredients she needed, she jumped and screamed as he shoved the mask in her face. She struggled and screamed to get free but it was all in vain. Her unconscious body soon fell delicately to the floor.

Zommari had been given orders to be back by a certain time, so he quickly hoisted her under his arm and walked out the front door. Before he left, he smirked as he locked the door and closed it.

"Maybe if you had done this before, you wouldn't be going through this right now. Silly little girl." He spoke, expecting no response.

He opened the door to the back seat of his car and tossed her in. Then he got into the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

Ichigo walked angrily out of the store he had just gone to. They were fresh out of gummy worms, the one thing he really enjoyed when he was as angry as he was. Why did Grimmjow have to be so difficult? Maybe if he had listened to Ishida's plan, instead of getting mad, he would have agreed to it.

Then again, he wouldn't have willingly gone along with it anyway.

*BRMM BRMM*

He pulled out his phone and got even angrier when he saw that Grimmjow had texted him. There was nothing for them to talk about right now. He went to drop it back into his pocket, but when it vibrated again, he stopped.

He had just received a text message and a photo from Inoue:

" _Come to Los Noches. Come alone or the girl dies."_

"What kind of game is she playing?" he asked.

His eyes went wide when he saw a picture of Inoue, unconscious on the ground of some building, and a gun lying beside her.

"Inoue…"

Without missing a beat, Ichigo pulled up the internet and quickly searched for directions to Los Noches. After getting them, he dashed off as fast as he could, following the path his phone displayed.

" _I'll save you Inoue! I swear that on my life!"_


	15. Worlds Apart

"What was I thinking? I should've checked in with Aizen as soon as I got back. Shit. Shit. Shit." Grimmjow spoke as he swerved around the other cars on the road.

He was adamantly searching the sidewalks for any sign of orange. He had to find Kurosaki before Aizen did. He just had to.

Seeing no sign of what he was looking for, he sped up and rounded a few more counters before pulling to a screeching halt in front of the Kurosaki clinic. He jumped out of his car and ran to the door, knocking and ringing the doorbell vigorously.

When the door, opened, Grimmjow recognized the girl as Yuzu, the younger twin of Kurosaki's little sisters.

"Hi Grimmjow. How are you?" she asked.

"Is your brother here?" he asked hurriedly.

"Um, no. He left about an hour ago. I figured he was going to see you."

Without another word, Grimmjow turned and quickly dashed back to his car.

"If you see Onii-chan, tell him I'm cooking curry tonight!" Yuzu called.

The bluenette slammed his door and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. This was definitely not good.

* * *

Ichigo ran as fast as his legs cold carry him. The cold blizzard air blew angrily against his face as he made his way across town. But the weather was of little importance to him. All he wanted to do was get to Inoue and save her. The girl meant a lot to him and she had nothing to do with Grimmjow and Aizen. She had to be saved. Ichigo vowed he would make Aizen and whoever ubducted her pay if it killed him.

It wasn't long before his phone showed a straight path to the building all the way at the end of the block. Ichigo increased his speed, gripping his phone angrily.

"Inoue…I promise I'll get you out of this mess…" he spoke aloud, breath flowing quickly behind him as he ran.

When he reached Los Noches, he stopped and took in the size of the place. He clenched his hands into fists, remembering the picture of Inoue, unconscious on the floor in this building, with a gun lying beside her.

"Inoue…"

The front doors to the building opened and a large man approached him.

"I'm-wait, don't I know you?"

"You…you're one of the transfer students at Karakura."

"Never thought I'd see a goody-goody like you here." Yammy commented, holding out his hand.

"What do you want?"

"The phone. Hand it over. Can't have you calling the police or any of your little pals."

Ichigo slammed the phone into Yammy's hand and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Where's Inoue?"

"I've been instructed to take you straight to Aizen. There was nothing said about the girl."

Yammy put a large hand on the boy's shoulder and began leading him to the elevator. After being forced in, Ichigo took a careful look at how many floors the building had. There were one hundred in total, plus a button labeled "P" at the top. There also appeared to be a basement, for a button labeled "B" was located under all of the other buttons.

After a few awkward minutes of travelling upwards, the elevator stopped on the one hundreth floor.

"Come on." Yammy commanded.

Ichigo was led down a hallway of doors and windows until they reached a large, red double-doorway. The large man walked up to it and pressed the button next to it.

"I got the kid." Yammy spoke.

"Please come in." Ichigo recognized the voice on the speaker.

Yammy pushed the doors open and forced the orange-head inside the office.

"I've successfully delivered the boy. Is there anything else you'd like me to take care of?"

"No, please leave us alone for now. Return to your duties on the lower floor." Aizen answered calmly.

"Yes sir."

Yammy pushed Ichigo to the floor before leaving.

"Please, stand to your feet and take a seat."

Ichigo rose off the floor, dusted himself off, and took a seat in front of the man's desk.

Aizen leaned forward and rested his cheek on his fist. He stared at the boy in front of him with a smile on his face.

Ichigo scowled. He felt himself wavering in front of this man. But he was here for a reason and he wasn't about to let this man make him forget that.

"Where is Inoue? And why have you taken her in the first place?"

"Oh, yes. Inoue, Orihime."

"Where is she!"

"Please, keep your voice down. There's no need to become so emotional."

"Where is she?" Ichigo asked, in as calm a voice as he could.

"I have the girl held up in my Penthouse, the floor directly above us. Don't worry yourself with her. The only way to reach the Penthouse is through a special elevator on this floor and I have a guard posted right outside it. The only way she would be, hurt, in any way, would be if  _I_ ordered it."

"Why you-"

"If you care about her safety, you'll do exactly as I say. I really have no intention of bringing harm to her, so I do hope you'll abide by my rules." Aizen interrupted.

"And what might those rules be?"

Aizen smiled and stood. "You, my dear boy, are not able to leave this place. You could say you're…a prisoner. I need you here until I recover certain files from your…lover."

"Files? Even  _if_  Grimmjow took files from you, who's to say he didn't copy them and save them to another location?"

"I have all the files I keep modified so they cannot be duplicated. He may have taken them, but once he returns them, it will be as though they never left me in the first place. The only way someone would be able to see them would be if he showed that person the originals."

"You went through a lot of trouble to protect these files you're missing. Must be some fairly illegal business going on if you're going this far out of your way to get them back. But Grimmjow didn't take them."

"I don't have the slightes interest in what you have to say. Until the files are returned, you and your lovely friend will remain here. That will provide all the incentive for Grimmjow to get those files back to me. Wheather he has them or not."

"Whatever. Take me to Inoue then."

"No, you will be placed on the fiftieth floor. I have a room prepared for you."

"…" Ichigo turned his head when a man enterend the room.

"I'll lead you to your room." He commented.

When Ichigo stood to leave, Aizen walked over to his window and spoke without looking at him. "If you try to escape, I will personally kill the girl. Her back is so smooth…I'd love to…stab a few holes in it." He smiled, pulling a thin knife from his pocket.

"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled angrily, lunging at him.

Despite his effort, he was knocked to the floor by the large man who he thought was at the door.

"Good work as always Poww. And Kurosaki-san, I'll be sure to come and visit you to see how you're holding up in a few hours."

Poww lifted the boy from the floor and pushed him over to the door.

"I…don't want you anywhere near me…or Inoue!"

"You don't have any say in the matter."

Ichigo gritted his teeth, but silently followed the other man out of Aizen's office. As they made their way to the elevator, he looked for the special one that led to the Penthouse. At least if he could find it, he would know how to get to Inoue.

"I'll find you and get you out of here Inoue. We'll get out of this mess somehow…" he spoke quietly to himself.

* * *

Grimmjow walked out of the small shop and made his way to his car in the parking lot, taking note of his parking job. He had parked halfway over two parking spaces, but luckily, the shop was hidden away from the main streets so there was no need to worry about parking tickets. At least, not from the meter maids.

He got in and angrily slammed his door shut. Where could Kurosaki be? The bluenette put both hands on the steering wheel and gripped it angrily. The vibration and ringing of his phone successfully distracted him from his intense frustration. When he pulled it out, he saw that the number calling him was Aizen's direct line. He wasted no time answering it.

"Hello Grimmjow. I'm so happy to see you answered this time. I have a little gift for you here in Los Noches. I'm sure you won't waste any time in coming to see what it is. There's also something we need to discuss so don't keep me waiting."

Before the other could respond, the call ended.

"No…No…FUCK! FUUUUCK!"

Grimmjow breathed heavily then banged his head against the steering wheel. All the anger and frustration he had been feeling was subsiding. There was nothing left in him now but anxiety.

He grinded his teeth and closed his eyes tight. Now was not the time to be acting this way. Aizen had Kurosaki. He  _had_  to have him. Why else would he call him and then abruptly hang up like that?

He started his car and sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

"Here's your room." Poww stated, opening the door in front of Ichigo and instructing him to walk in.

Ichigo walked past the large man and entered the room.

"Get comfy because you're gonna be here for a long time unless your boyfriend turns over the goods to Aizen-sama." Poww commented before slamming the door and locking it from the outside.

Ichigo took note of the fact that the only other way out of the room was the window, and that was a death wish if he were to jump. Other than that, the room was pretty lavish. There was a bed, a bathroom, and a kitchenette.

He walked to the refrigerator and saw there was plenty of food stocked in it.

"Must be for my extended stay…" he sighed heavily, "I hope Inoue is okay…I'll make Aizen pay."

* * *

"Hurry!" Loly shouted.

"The elevator won't go any faster no matter how much you yell at it." Luppi spoke, rested against the wall.

"Where are we going?" Menoly asked.

"Aizen-sama's office. I heard we have some guests and I'd like to hear some details." The other girl responded, excitement clear in her eyes.

The three remained quiet as the elevator made its way up to the hundredth floor. News had traveled since earlier in the day that Aizne had a boy brought to Los Noches.

" _It has to be that emo kid Grimmjow's with."_  Luppi thought with a grin.

"How do we know this isn't just a business interaction? It could just be another bargain." Menoly commented.

"That's why we're going up!" Loly shouted, "Stop being such a whimp all the time!"

"With a friend like you, who needs enemies?" Luppi smirked, glad he didn't have to put up with Loly all the time.

"Who asked you anything? You just make sure not to be seen."

When the elevator stopped, Loly stuck her head out and scoped out the hallway.

"Good, nobody's around. Let's go." She said before marching in the direction of Aizen's office.

"I can hear faint talking." Menoly stated as they got closer.

"Hurry up." Luppi said, walking quickly past them and stopping at the door.

When they reached Aizen's office, all three of them listened intently to the voices coming from behind the doors. It sounded like there was someone crying in there…

"I didn't want to have to resort to this, but you leave me no choice Grimmjow." They heard Aizen speak.

"Grimmjow…" Luppi cringed.

* * *

"Please! Please! I'm sorry! I'll get you what you want! Just don't kill me!"

Aizen smirked and walked around the sobbing figure on the floor. "I truly hate to see you this way, it doesn't suit you at all. After all the time we've spent working together and you make me do something like this. But my patience has run out. No you'll pay the price."

"I-I'm sorry! I'll get you what's yours! J-just please! Please don't pull the trigger!"

"You had your chances. But now it's time you pay the ultimate price for stealing from someone who is worlds beyond your status and strength." Aizen commented, before stopping and pointing the gun to the man's forehead.

"N-no! Don't kill me! Don't pull the trigger! I swear I'll get you your-"

The three in the hallway heard a shot and the shouting was abruptly cut short.

"This is the price you pay when you steal from me." Aizen smirked, looking over the body at his feet.

Grimmjow stood wide-eyed, frozen in place.

"I do hope you'll learn from Mr. Takimora's mistake. Don't steal from me and your days won't be numbered."

Aizen cleaned his hands on a handkerchief and walked over to the bluenette. He stood directly in front of him and smiled.

"You look as though you've seen a ghost. You of all people should understand the anger and malice one feels towards someone who  _steals_  from them."

Grimmjow took a step back and clenched his fists. The body on the ground behind them was bleeding all over the place. That could have easily been him, or Kurosaki. Was this the point he was making by making him watch this?

"He…he didn't deserve that…"

"I am God. I say who deserves what. The only reason you stand on your feet is because I say so. The only reason the Kurosaki boy and everyone else you've ever come into contact with remain alive is because I will it. Now don't make me do this again. The body lying on the floor could very well be your beloved-"

"Don't say another fucking word you sick fuck! I'll kill you!" Grimmjow shouted.

Aizen closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Such insubordination…"

"Uh-"

"Will not be tolerated!" the man spoke loudly, swinging his pistol across the other's face.

Grimmjow fell backwards to the floor, vision blurring.

"You will return my files. I don't care who has them,  _you_  will return them. Otherwise, I'll let my associates take turns on the boy."

Grimmjow touched his face where he was sure there was a gash. He brought his fingers down and saw they were covered in blood.

"You deserve a little punishment for putting me through this."

Aizen walked over to his desk and took a seat before pressing a button.

"Zommari, please come escort Grimmjow to the lower bunker."

Outside the office, Loly, Menoly, and Luppi scurried back to the elevator. The last thing they could afford was for Aizen to know they were eavesdropping.

"He only has that prick! He didn't take that redheaded bitch?" Loly asked angrily.

"But everyone said they saw a girl earlier today." Menoly commented.

"I thought he killed Grimmjow for a second… That man sounded just like him…"

"Probably one of Aizen-sama's head games. Freaking Grimmjow out with the idea that that could have been him…" Menoly shook her head.

"Well, Grimmjow will be in the bunker and the boy is here too. You got what you wanted." Loly remarked.

"I think I'll pay them a visit when things calm down a bit."

* * *

Ichigo sat downcast on the end of the bed in "his" room. This was unlike anything he had ever faced before. He and Inoue were captives in Los Noches, and their lives were very much so in danger.

" _I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for that hotheaded moron…"_  he thought.

But even so, he promised himself that he was ready for anything that was to come his way long ago. He knew the risks he was taking by dating Grimmjow, so there was no one to point the finger at. Besides, he did love him. And he would never abandon him. Never.

He would have been fine with this because he knew Aizen wouldn't kill Grimmjow if he was here. There would be no reason to keep him here if he  _was_  going to kill the man.

But Inoue was thrown into the mix. That was the main problem in his eyes. His own life was irrelevant compared to hers. All he could bring himself to think about was Inoue. What she was going through right now. What she went through being kidnapped. She was unconscious in the picture so she must have been taken against her will, not to mention the kind of thug that must have approached her.

"I'll never forgive Aizen."

He turned his head quickly when the locks on his door unlocked.

Aizen opened the door and walked in.

"My it's dark in here. Why do you both decide to sit in the dark?"

"Wh-what?"

"I was referring to Inoue, Orihime. I just made a quick visit to her before coming here and she too was sitting in the penthouse with the lights off."

"What did you bastards do to her? What did  _you_  do to her? I want to see her!"

"Relax. She is perfectly fine. I made sure to treat her with lots of sweets, even though she refused to eat."

Refusal to eat sweets? That was unlike Inoue. She must be more traumatized by all of this than he originally thought.

"Does she know I'm here?"

"Of course. I want her to feel as safe as possible. Informing her of your arrival was one of my top priorities. Though, I don't understand why her eyes lit up the way they did when I told her. The man she loves with every fiber of her being, the one she cannot do without, but in the end, the one who will never settle down and have the life she prays her heart out for. Why? Because that man lies in bed with another man. Yet knowing this, she still gleams at the mere thought of you. Isn't life such a paradox?"

"You don't understand. I do love her. I would die before I let harm come to her. She means the world to me. She's my friend, practically family, something you may never be able to wrap that empty head of yours around. It doesn't matter who I lay with because I cherish her just as much as I do Grimmjow, and all my friends. And she would feel the exact same way if the tables were turned."

"Ah, but what  _if_  the tables  _were_  turned? What if I ordered Grimmjow to sleep with her right in front of you very eyes? He would certainly do it if I threatened your life. What would you have to say then?"

"I'd drop you on the spot and end our suffering. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Hm. You are an interesting one indeed. I can't seem to intimidate you like I can Grimmjow. Maybe it's because he's more of a simpleton…or should I say…animal. It is certainly a joy to toy with the dimwitted. But I find it even more thrilling to  _break_  the more rational ones."

"Are you done here? If you're not going to take me to Inoue then get lost."

"Watch your tounge or it may wind up on the floor at your feet."

"Why are you here? I'm not afraid of you, and I'm certainly not afraid to die."

Aizen slowly closed the door and made his way over to the boy on the bed. He stopped and placed his hand on Ichigo's cheek.

"You are an interesting one. What would you do if I forced you to submit to me right here, right now, in this room? What could you do? Absolutely nothing. You are powerless. Even moreso since I have something to keep you in line."

Ichigo ripped himself from the other's grasp.

"What would you do if I forced Grimmjow to submit to me? Or the girl? Which would you rather? Which would be more painful for you to watch?" he smirked.

"Don't. Don't hurt them. I couldn't live with myself if Inoue was forced to…or Grimm…"

"Know your own helplessness." Aizen said, forcing him down on the bed.

Ichigo closed his eyes tight and turned his head away as the man leaned over him.

Aizen cupped the boy's chin and turned his head to face him before he pressed his lips softly against the other's.

"Why are you so afraid? Do you feel this way when Grimmjow kisses you?"

He slowly unzipped Ichigo's jacket, but slowed, then stopped.

"I see he has marked you. It's a faint mark, but passion marks are quite ordaining if I do say so myself. I wonder why he acts like such an animal."

When the man stood, he caused the other to jump.

"I never had any desire to engage in any sexual acts with you. I just wanted you to realize how powerless you are in this situation. Now sit there and contemplate the type of man you are. Or should I say, foolish child."

Aizen brushed his hand over his hair, drawing it back, before taking his leave.

After hearing the door lock again, Ichigo sat up. He was shaken more now than he had ever been before. He could have been taken advantage of, but he wasn't. Even so, Aizen's words were just as effective, if not more effective, than what could have just happened.

"I need to see Inoue. What if he said or did something like this to her…?"

He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands. What could he do?

He had never felt so powerless before.

* * *

"Aizen-sama says you get to spend some quality time down here. Hope you learn whatever lesson he's trying to teach you." Zommari spoke as he placed the shakles on Grimmjow's wrists.

"Whatever. I don't need to hear a lecture from you of all people."

"Enjoy your stay."

The large man walked out of the cell and shut off the lights before making his way to the exit.

Grimmjow couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black, and he hated it. He began tugging at his arms in an attept to pull the binds loose. His wrists had been shackled to the ceiling, forcing him to stand on his feet.

"Damn…everything…I gotta get to Kurosaki."

After a series of grunts and groans, the bluenette temporarily gave up. The only way he'd be getting out of the shackles would be if he ripped his arms off.

"Feels like I'm in a Saw movie…" he spoke, noting the irony.

"It could very well be one."

The unexpected voice scared the living daylights out of him.

"Who's there?" he shouted.

"Oh no one special. Just me." Luppi flipped the light switches.

"Luppi? What the hell are you doing down here?"

"I don't like to beat around the bush…well…actually, I do… But getting straight to the point, I'm basically here to violate you." He grinned.

"I'd love to see you try."

"Have it your way."

Luppi skipped his way over to and stopped in front of the cell.

"Your plan is half baked shit-for-brains. You can't do anything without the keys."

"Oh, you mean these keys?" he giggled, twirling the keys on his middle finger while holding it up to the restrained man.

"How did you-"

"I may have given old Zommari a little cash to look the other way. Well, more like go back up to the lobby."

"If you come in here, you'll regret it."

"Oh look at you Grimmjow. You look like an animal in the zoo: caged and defeated. Oh and I just love it! You'll be fully aware of the things I'm going to do to you."

Impatience getting the best of him, Luppi quickly unlocked the cell and ran over to Grimmjow. He wrapped his arms around him and started kissing and sucking his neck.

" _Just a little lower…"_  Grimmjow thought.

Luppi lifted his prey's shirt and began trailing kisses down his torso. He got on his knees and pressed his face against the man's clothed crotch.

"Oh I can smell you though your clothes. How exciting! I wonder if you could fuck me while standing in shackles."

Just as Grimmjow was about to knee him in the face, Luppi stood and moved forward.

"Oh, and look at that bruise on your face. My poor baby… You know, I could take better care of you than that Kurosaki boy ever could." He said as he brought his hands to cup the other's face.

"You wish."

"I'll go chop his dick off right now! Then who would you sleep with? Huh!"

"I'd be dead before I slept with a nobody like you."

"That's the reason we must punish you! Because of that mouth of yours" Luppi grinned after his outburst and moved closer to him, "But maybe a kiss will change your attitude."

When he got close enough, Grimmjow leaned as far back as he could and quickly smashed his forehead against Luppi's.

The blow was enough to knock the smaller man out cold, causing him to fall to the floor with a thud.

"That takes care of that pest…Oh damnit the keys are too far to get!" the bluenette complaied, reaching his foot out as far as he could.

"I can take you to Kurosaki." Stark claimed, entering the bunker.

"St-stark?"

"Yea, it's me. But you can only see him at night when Aizen-sama is gone. He would have my head if he knew I was letting you out earlier than you're supposed to be. I don't think you're supposed to be seeing that kid anyway."

"Hurry and take me to him."

"Hold your horses. Sheesh, everyone's always so angry around here. I should've just taken that job at the mall…"

"Yeah, like people are any less angry there."

"Let's go. It's getting pretty late so most everyone's gone home but people in the labs."

Grimmjow's arms dropped to his sides when the cuffs on his wrists were unlocked.

"Thanks. I won't forget this Stark."

"Well, I can't let you suffer in that hell hole all night. I wish nobody had to suffer…"

Grimmjow took the lead, even though he had no idea where he was going. All he knew was he was about to see Kurosaki. That's all that mattered to him right now.


	16. Like Gears in a Clock

"Grimmjow relax. It's late…Aizen-sama won't be back until ten in the morning. We'll get to Kurosaki if we  _walk_ the rest of the way." Stark complained.

"Damn this elevator. We should have just taken the stairs."

"You'd really climb fifty flights of stairs?"

"Damned right. I need to make sure he's okay."

Stark sighed and leaned against the wall. He was beginning to wonder if he was getting in over his head by doing this. Grimmjow was truly a handful.

"By the way, I'll be back around eight to take you back to the bunker…no matter what I want, Aizen-sama's word is what holds the power around here."

"Wait, I get to stay the night?"

"That's…that's exactly what it means." Stark responded, concerned about the other's deductive skills.

"Good."

* * *

Ichigo stood silently at his window watching the storm outside while contemplating all that Aizen had said to him. In this mess, he felt that he was just as powerless as a newborn. He was locked in this room, unable to find Inoue, and nowhere near ready to take Aizen on. That's about as powerless as it gets.

But, just like the story of Pandora's Box he had heard long ago, he knew no matter what tragedies were to be thrown his way, there'd always be hope. And that alone was all he needed to know to believe he would see his friends and family again. Not to mention taking Inoue and Grimmjow and returning to the life they once had. Except this time, it would be a life without Aizen constantly looming over them.

He quickly turned his head when he heard the locks on the door begin clicking.

" _Could be Aizen again…"_  he thought before running behind the door with a frying pan at the ready.

As soon as the figure entered, he smashed the pan against its head.

"Got you, you sick bastard!" he shouted.

"Holy fucking hell!"

"Gr-Grimmjow?"

Said man fell to the floor, holding his head in pain.

"I'd rather not get involved in this so I'll leave you two alone. And Grimmjow, don't forget, I'll be back at eight in the morning."

Stark, quickly realizing things were about to get loud, said his goodbyes, exited the room, and then locked the door again.

"What the hell are you doing? Who are you trying to take out with a fucking frying pan?"

"Sorry. It's…nothing…" Ichigo lied.

"Why's it so dark in here anyway?" Grimmjow asked, looking for the light switch, "And…uh…how're you holding up?"

"Why are you here? I don't have much of anything to say to you right now."

"What crawled up your ass and died?"

"Your temper and irrationality that's what. That's usually what it is. I'm surprised you even had to ask."

"You're still mad about earlier?"

"Oh…I don't know. Yes! You should have just listened to me instead of exploding about it. Your temper is so hard to deal with!"

"I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear?"

"I don't really care what you have to say. I'll get myself, and Inoue, out of here without your help."

"I-Inoue? She's here too?"

"No. I just wanted to make a trip to Aizen's headquarters for the heck of it." Ichigo stated sarcastically, "Yes she's here. You think I came here for no reason?"

"Damnit. Well, at least you weren't careless enough to get kidnapped." He paused in thought for a moment then spoke again, "So do you always lose your rationality when she's in danger?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and ignored the question. Looking around the room again, he sighed. It  _was_  pretty dark, and he didn't feel like talking to the other without being able to see him.

When he flipped the lights on, he gasped at the sight of the other man.

"Your face! What happened to your face?"

"Nothing…" blue eyes averted the brown ones staring at him.

"Don't lie to me. Come here."

Grimmjow did not move an inch. Ichigo shook his head and walked over to him.

"Don't mess with it Kurosaki. It'll heal on its own."

"Oh Grimmjow…I bet you brought this on yourself…even so, I can't stand seeing you hurt like this all the time. Be more careful okay?"

"I'm a man. I don't need all the worry."

"Did he do that to you?"

"…"

"That's a pretty big laceration. I don't think there's any Peroxide in here, but I need to clean it. Since my dad always has me help him at the clinic, I can't stand by and watch something so minor go untreated."

"I don't need your help."

"I don't really care. Well actually I do, which is why I'm doing this."

Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow by his arm and led him over to the sink. He turned the water on and waited for it to get hot, then tore a sleeve off his shirt and let the water run over it.

"Come closer."

Grimmjow winced at the heat when Ichigo placed it on the wound. "That hurts…"

"Of course it will. You know, I hate seeing you all banged up all the time Grimm… It hurts more than just you."

Ichigo gently wiped the area around the wound and cleaned it as best he could. If he didn't, it could have easily become infected.

Grimmjow grabbed the boy's hand, causing him to stop his ministrations.

"I'm not finished yet!" Ichigo complained.

"Are  _you_  okay Kurosaki?"

"I'm fine. I'd really like to see Inoue, but I don't know how to get to the Penthouse... You don't need to worry about me okay?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "Always worried about everyone but yourself, huh?"

"My life means nothing compared to hers. I feel that way about all of my friends, and of course my family."

"And I feel the exact same way about you."

"You're…you're just a big old softie under this rough exterior."

"I'll save you and your little friend Inoue."

"What'll happen to Stark and everyone else if Aizen goes to jail?"

"I…I don't know…"

"What'll happen to you?"

"I don't know. But as long as you and everyone else are safe at the end of all of this, then I'll be okay."

Ichigo sighed. Grimmjow seemed to place little to no value on his own life. He probably never would have guessed this side of him existed if they had never started dating.

"I love you, Grimmjow."

"I know you do. And I love you, Kurosaki. I promise we'll all get out of this."

"All this for those stupid files. I wonder what happened to them."

"Someone is probably trying to frame me. I wouldn't put it past him to be Tousen. I hate that prick."

"You need to find out what's going on. Then again, even if Aizen gets his files back, he'll probably just kill us. I suspect we know too much about this."

"Then how do you think we should handle this situation?"

"I-I'm not sure…"

"Well, if I do find the files, I'll return them. But only after he lets you and that Inoue girl go."

"I wouldn't put it past him to know where I live so he could just hunt us down again. But that's where Ishida's plan comes in."

"What plan?"

"Ishida got me to buy…actually…I think it'd be best if you didn't know."

"Don't start telling me and then stop! That's so annoying."

Ichigo yawned and stretched out his arms. "Don't worry about it. I'm a little tired anyway. Might as well sleep on the bed he so graciously provided for me." He said, turning off the lights.

He then walked over to the bed, and plopped down on it.

Grimmjow cracked his back and followed him, "Kurosaki,"

"Hm?" he responded, voice muffled due to his face being in the pillow.

"I know you're pretty tired and all, but I'm…kinda horny…"

Ichigo turned his head. "You're completely capable of taking care of that without me."

"Come on. I haven't done that in a long time. Besides, you're laying right here."

When he got no response, the bluenette threw himself on the bed like a child.

"Temper Grimm...Temper…"

"Holding out Kurosaki…Holding out…"

Ichigo turned himself completely away from Grimmjow, now facing the window.

He closed his eyes and began wondering again about Inoue. What she was doing at the very moment. It was likely that she was asleep. He would have to find some way to see her tomorrow.

Thinking back, he should have at least told someone where he was going. Then again, they would have probably wanted to come along in this rescue attempt and he had been instructed to come alone. This was something he was meant to do without his friends' support. But he really did miss them.

" _I can only imagine what Inoue must be feeling all alone up there…"_

He was disrupted from his thoughts thanks to the noise coming from behind him. Grimmjow had taken his advice and began… All he knew was that it was getting annoying, and quite awkward.

He turned over and glared at the man.

"Do you have to do  _that_  so loudly?"

"What?"

Ichigo looked him over, eyes going from his face to his exposed member. Suddenly, all his irritation vanished and was replaced with a slight sense of pity and a bit of guilt.

The look on Grimmjow's face had been completely innocent.  _"For once."_  He thought.

"I…" Ichigo decided to let his actions speak for his words.

He leaned over and kissed Grimmjow softly, all the while letting his hand find its way to the others. When he found it, he began rubbing it in encouragement.

"Kurosaki, if you're going to join in, we're not about to simply jerk me off…"

"I kind of figured that."

Taking that as an invitation, Grimmjow lifted his shirt off his body and tossed it carelessly to the floor.

Ichigo eyed Grimmjow's torso up and down. His abdomen was indeed something he should show off more often.

"Do you work out a lot Grimmjow?" he asked.

"That turn you on?" he smirked.

"Maybe. How come I never see you working out?"

"I work out when I'm alone. We've got some pretty expensive exercise equipment and weights upstairs at my place."

Ichigo exhaled heavily, no longer wanting to talk. Just looking at Grimmjow with his shirt off made him hornier than ever. He leaned closer and started trailing kisses down the man's chest and continued lower. When he reached the abs, he led his tongue over them in a slow manner and then dipped it into his navel before moving to his final destination.

Grimmjow, against his own will, moaned when Ichigo took his member into his mouth. He put his hand on the back of his head in encouragement. "God, Kurosaki. Don't stop."

Unintentionally, he had started forcing Ichigo to go further and further down as he rocked his hips upward.

Ichigo opened his eyes when the head of Grimmjow's penis came into contact with his uvula. He grabbed and removed the man's hand then rose from his task.

"Don't do that anymore. I almost choked on your dick." He said seriously.

"Heh sorry. Didn't mean to do that."

Ichigo shook his head, but leaned forward to kiss him anyway.

Grimmjow smirked at the thought of Ichigo showing signs of masochism. Never had he been rewarded for nearly choking someone before.

"I'm getting tired so we'd better hurry this along." Ichigo stated.

"If you fall asleep, I'll still be going strong." the bluenette grinned.

He unbuttoned Ichigo's pants and pulled them off, tossing them in the same way he had done with his shirt before. Then he quickly slid out of his own pants and boxer shorts.

"You wanna be on top tonight?"

"Me? Top you?"

"No no no." Grimmjow nearly laughed, "Do you want to ride on top of me?"

"Well what's wrong with me being the top?" he asked. Even though he had no intention of being the top, he wanted to know why Grimmjow seemed so amused by the idea.

"I don't bottom for anybody."

"You wouldn't even for me?"

"No sir. I love ya, but I'm not a bottom."

Ichigo suddenly remembered what Grimmjow had told him that night they went looking for his car after their meeting in the park. He had been a sex item held up in Aizen's fort when he wasn't selling drugs. Not just for Aizen, but for his associates as well. With men like that, Grimmjow would have been forced to submit and if he knew Grimmjow, that was not an easy task. It wasn't surprising why he didn't seem comfortable as a bottom. He wasn't about to force that on him again.

"Okay. I'm not about to fight you for something as trivial as this."

"Good." The other smirked. Without hesitation, he grabbed Ichigo by the waist but then suddenly paused. "Damnit."

"What is it?"

"I…I don't have any lubrication or any condoms on me."

"That's right… So what do we do?"

"We can go bareback."

"I'm pretty sure that's dangerous. I had a talk with my dad and he said to avoid that at all costs."

"Che. What does your dad know anyway?"

"He's the head of a successful clinic. I guess that means he knows what he's talking about, Grimmjow."

"Well, we do have a  _form_  of lubrication…"

"Oh yeah? What might that be?"

Without answering, Grimmjow laid Ichigo on his back and made his way down to in-between his legs.

Ichigo moaned as the man aggressively sucked him. Without much effort, he came with a loud moan. After hearing movement, he looked down and saw Grimmjow covering his fingers with his cum.

"This." He grinned.

"You're going to use  _that_  as lubrication?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Kurosaki." He answered, moving to insert them.

Ichigo squirmed at the intrusion of Grimmjow's sperm covered fingers. He never imagined he would go this far for sex. Then again, Grimmjow was comparable to an animal and there aren't any condoms in the wild…

"Okay, let's do this."

"Are you absolutely sure this is safe Grimmjow?"

"Not exactly…but you'll be fine if that's what you're worried about. I stretched you as much as I possibly could."

"Okay…"

"Ready?"

"Do it." He responded, looking away with eyes closed.

Grimmjow slid into the boy just as easily as he had in the past. He then leaned over Ichigo and buried his face in his neck.

"I told ya you could handle it." He stated, voice muffled by the other's skin.

"Then move already." Ichigo responded with vigor. He rocked his hips in initiation of the act because he was finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

With that, Grimmjow began moving. He slid himself to the tip and then forced his way back in. Every gasp and every moan Kurosaki gave made him want to slow his pace and drag out the moment, but he could feel the boy's grip on his back loosening. He could tell it was becoming harder and harder for him to stay awake.

"Grimm…"

"Yeah?" he panted between thrusts.

"I can't…"

"Almost there. Don't give in just yet." He grunted.

Grimmjow thrusted harder and faster than he had ever thrusted before. This may well have been their last time doing this together and he wanted to remember it. If Kurosaki had fallen asleep now, that'd sure be something he'd never forget. And this had been their first time doing this bareback. Thankfully there were no complications.

He lifted his head and made his way over to Ichigo's Adam's Apple to start sucking it. That sure got his attention.

Ichigo began giggling at the contact. It tickled him slightly to have Grimmjow sucking him there. Not being able to take much more, he put his hand firmly on Grimmjow's forehead and pushed him back.

"Stop that! It tickles!"

"Oh really?" the bluenette grinned.

When he made for it again, Ichigo grabbed his chin and brought him into a deep kiss. When they parted, he stared intently into his blue eyes. Grimmjow showed all of his teeth in a wicked grin as he continued to thrust into the blushing boy below him.

"Don't be…such a pussy."

"If it tickles…! Then how about I tickle you!" he responded, sending his fingers to Grimmjow's armpits.

Before they could reach their target, however, Grimmjow quickly brought his arms to his sides to block them.

"Now who's being a pussy?" he grinned.

"Sh-shut up."

"Make me."

The bluenette slid himself all the way out and then shoved himself back in with more force than he had ever used. This caused Ichigo to go wide-eyed and shout in painful pleasure.

"There you go."

"Grimmjow! That hurt!"

"That's what you get."

"Grimm…"

"I'm almost-"

With one final thrust, Grimmjow quickly pulled out and came on Ichigo's stomach.

"Whew!" he panted before moving to lay on top of the smaller boy.

When Ichigo felt him fall on top of him he shouted.

"What is it?"

"GRIMMJOW!"

"WHAT?" he asked again, surprised by the outburst.

"You just…! You just laid down on the-I need a bath!"

Grimmjow shook his head, "You're such a pansy."

"Okay, can you get off please? I need a bath, desperately."

"Only if I can join you."

"How can you think about that again? We just got finished-"

"Calm down Kurosaki. I just want to relax with you. Nothing has to happen."

"Hmm. Fine."

"I guess you're wide awake now huh?"

"I guess so. Thanks a lot. It's past midnight and I'm wide awake. It'd be fine if we weren't here in Los Noches and Inoue wasn't here."

"She'll be fine. Aizen won't do anything to her. He treats female guests with the utmost respect and care."

"I'm not so worried about Aizen as opposed to his workers…"

* * *

"Open your legs a bit more. This is uncomfortable."

"Apparently these tubs weren't made for two." Grimmjow commented.

Ichigo leaned back against the bluenette after finding it hard to think.

"Hey, Grimm."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think anyone is missing us right now?"

"Well, not at this very moment. Everyone we know is probably asleep."

"If we were in school, surely people would begin getting suspicious. Especially Tatsuki. One day she doesn't see Inoue at school and she, Chizuru, Michiru and the rest of their gang are off to her apartment."

"Why does everybody like her anyway? She's just a ditzy princess with big boobs…"

"Because she's a really good friend and is devoted to all the people she loves. My life, and everyone else's, would be much less lively if she weren't around. I'd go to the ends of the earth if she needed me to. She means just that much to me."

"Doesn't the whole "Kurosaki-kun!" bit get annoying?"

"Not in the least. She's by far one of the people I know has my back and she would do anything to keep me safe. Just like I would for her."

Grimmjow closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. Kurosaki's resolve was astonishing. He was ever unchanging and willing to put his life on the line for someone he wasn't even fucking. That was something he had noticed about himself that had been changing. Ever since he met Kurosaki, he had been feeling the need to keep his family, friends, frenimies, and even Kurosaki's friends safe.

"I'll get her out of here if it's the last thing I do." Grimmjow stated.

"We'll all get out of here together."

After a few moments of silence, the bluenette spoke, "So…about my father…"

"Hm? What about him?"

"I've been thinking that maybe instead of blowing up on him all the time, I should try a more mature approach. Even if we don't agree one hundred percent, at least he'll recognize me as a man and not a child."

"Hm. Why does Aizen think you're dimwitted? You've got brains under that brawn."

"What? When did he tell you that?"

"Uh…when I went to his office after I arrived." He lied.

"Well, I'm gonna be the one to take him down. Then we'll see who's smarter. Me or him."

"Speaking of Aizen, what will you be doing tomorrow?"

"Probably be in the lower cells…"

"What did you do?"

"I yelled at him."

Ichigo turned around and gently touched his cheek just a few centimeters from where his gash was healing. "Is that why this is here?"

"It's all good. Every dog has his day and I'm gonna make Aizen's come much sooner than he's expecting."

"Hm. All this talking and we haven't bathed yet."

"Well let's get to it."

Ichigo grabbed a towel and began lathering it before turning to face his lover. He pressed it to Grimmjow's chest and slowly scrubbed his way across it. Cleaning his abs was more enticing than he had expected. Moving the towel in a circular manner, he made sure to get to each one.

"Hey, Kurosaki. I know my torso's pretty enticing, but my feet and back could use a good cleaning. Haven't bathed in a few days…"

"Oh, Grimmjow! That's completely-keep up your hygiene!"

Grimmjow lifted his leg to put his foot in Ichigo's way.

Ichigo took it in his left hand and began harshly scrubbing with his right.

"Hey! What happened to the gentleness you were giving me earlier! It's a foot not a brick wall!" he complained.

"Oh, you're right King Grimmjow. Where are my manners?"

Grimmjow snatched his foot away and crossed his arms.

All the while, Ichigo got closer to him and started scrubbing his upper torso. He lifted his arms and gently ran the towel along his pits then worked his way down to Grimmjow's groin.

"Can't believe you haven't bathed. You think I'd notice your odor…"

"Hey, don't play with it Kurosaki or I'll get worked up again."

"I'm not  _playing_  with it! I'm  _cleaning_  it! Didn't your parents teach you how to clean down there?" he retorted.

After he had finished cleaning him, Ichigo handed Grimmjow the towel and leaned back against him.

Grimmjow took his time working his way over the boy's form. He slowed his pace when he reached the orange forest below. Doing just as Ichigo had done before, he grabbed a hold of his penis with the towel and ran his hand along it.

Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow's hand when his ministrations went beyond simple cleaning.

"Hey, we have a long day ahead of us. Let's get to sleep."

"Uh, yeah." Grimmjow blushed after just having been stopped.

Not many people were willing to turn him down when it came to sexual favors and so forth. Kurosaki was such a challenge for him. But that was just the way he liked it. After all, nobody really likes someone who throws themselves at you.

Ichigo pulled the drain stopper and both boys got out of the tub. After drying each other off and dressing, they made their way to the bed.

Grimmjow climbed comfortably in behind the orange-head and closed his eyes. He wasn't really looking forward to another day without Kurosaki so he was going to enjoy his company tonight. Wrapping his arms around the boy's smaller frame, he promised himself that this would be the last time he would be forcefully kept away from him.

Ichigo, with his back pressed against Grimmjow's front, felt his heart beating. It was slightly faster than normal. Years of practice in his family clinic had helped him be able to differentiate a normal rate from an abnormal one. He brought his hand to the one rested on his side and intertwined their fingers together.

"I love you, Grimmjow."

"I love you too Kurosaki."

It hadn't been long before both drifted off to sleep in the seemingly restless night.

* * *

Ichigo woke up to a dark room and looked over at the clock. It was nine thirty-four in the morning. Quickly, he sat up and looked over to where Grimmjow had rested last night. Now there was nothing but an indention on the pillow and sheets that looked unkempt.

"Grimm…"

After sitting and sulking for a while, he decided it was time to get up and seize the day. Or, what he could seize from inside Los Noches that is.

He got out of bed and straightened the sheets before making his way over to the curtains. When he pulled them back, he was met with a blinding light from the sun.

"This place…"

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Ichigo turned when he heard the door being unlocked and opened.

"Good morning Kurosaki. I've come to let you out of your room. Aizen-sama says you're free to roam…so long as you don't roam outside." Stark spoke lazily.

"Thank you."

"Well, I've got to get back to work so I'll just tell you to stay out of trouble."

"Wait!"

"Huh?"

"Is…is Grimmjow okay? Did you take him back to the cells? Did Aizen find out?"

"He's fine. He was fairly incoherent and vulgar when I woke him up, but that only means he's the same old Grimmjow."

"Thank goodness."

Stark exited the room, pulling the door until it was almost closed.

"Guess I'll see some of the inner workings of Los Noches."

* * *

Szayel-Aporro shook his head in disbelief. The new lackeys Aizen had hired were far from useful to him. All they did was made comments about wanting to be smoking rather than concocting the precious merchandise. One of them had even made a snide comment about his hair color while he thought he couldn't hear.

"No you imbecile! That isn't supposed to be heated! Just leave it be!"

"S-sorry man. Cool your jets!"

"If you even had half the comprehension of what "cooling a jet" was all about then maybe I'd listen to you! But you ingrates are nothing more than hindrances to me than benefactors!"

"Szayel-Aporro. We have a visitor." One of his assistants timidly commented.

"What? A visitor?"

"Yo. I've got permission from Aizen to browse this place. Hope you don't mind."

"Ah yes. Kurosaki. How nice to see you…alive."

"Is that some kind of threat or something? Because I'm sure you're no match for me."

"You believe brute strength is the only way to win a battle? Then you are severly mistaken. It takes wits to outmaneuver your opponent and crush him. Keep that in mind, foolish boy."

"You remind me of Ishida."

"I'm sure he's a handsome man indeed."

"So this is where Aizen's "merchandise" comes from huh?"

"Yes. Mind you, if anything were to happen to any of us…" he paused and looked to the new assistants, "Well, most of us, then his operations would come to a screeching halt and be down for quite a while."

"Interesting. Isn't it a bad idea to be so overdependent on one simple department?"

"There is nothing simple about what goes on in here troublesome boy. Are you planning something? It wouldn't work, I promise you."

"I'm not planning anything against you or anyone in here. I'm just a simple spectator." Ichigo responded. All his time with Ishida had shown him how to handle the more intellectual type, even if he didn't use big flashy words.

"Well, as you can see, we're busy. There's a plethora of work to do so if you will take your leave, I'd appreciate it."

"Sure. Don't screw things up in here. Who knows what Aizen would do to a rational person like you…"

Without another word, Ichigo exited to the hallway and made his way to the elevator. Once inside he decided to see what goes on on the first floor.

At the opening of the elevator, he was met with the lobby he had entered through. Then he noticed a dark haired woman sitting at the front desk so he made his way over to her.

"What can I do for you sir?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing really. I'm just spectating."

"Spectators are for sports games. If you have no business here, then please leave. We don't need any random people off the streets just casually strolling around in here."

"I'm actually under orders not to leave this place from Aizen. Thanks for the talk…Ms…Sun Sun." he said after looking at her name tag.

"I hope for your sake you don't owe Aizen-sama anything. Otherwise you'll just be another corpse walking. And Zommari will be happy to clean you off the walls if push comes to shove."

"Th-thanks?"

"Not too bright are we?" she asked monotonously.

"Not too nice are we?" he asked, just as uninterested as she was.

"Giving guests the sweet talk are we Sun Sun?" a girl asked as she and another girl entered the room.

"I was just wondering when someone would arrive to take over my shift. I'm quite tired of you two slacking on the job."

"We were busy. If you're so tired then take your leave." The darker skinned one commented.

Ichigo looked at their name tags. One was named Apache and the other Mila Rose.

"Is there something we can do for you?" Apache asked.

"Who's the head of security around here?"

"Stark. But he's head of the surveillance. Halibel is head of enforcement."

"Where can I find her?"

"Just through that hallway. She's on break at the moment." Mila Rose spoke. She was clearly the most normal of the three.

Not interested in any of the three any longer, Ichigo followed the hallway until he reached a large room with lavish furniture.

"Is there anything you need?" a blonde woman asked when she saw him enter.

"Are you Halibel?" he asked.

"Yes. Who might you be?" she asked while stirring her coffee.

This woman was much calmer than the ones in the lobby. She seemed quite level-headed and polite even.

"I'm Kurosaki, Ichigo. Just here for a while until a mess with Aizen is cleared up."

"For your sake I hope that while is short." She said sympathetically with a smile.

"So what made you decide to work for Aizen? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's not a problem at all. I work for him because he promised he'd protect those three in the lobby."

"Protect them from what?"

"Well…one of them was nearly raped but just before it happened, the other two arrived and saved her. The man promised he'd be back to finish what he started, and to kill the other two who stopped him. Aizen heard about this and disposed of the perpetrator for us. Though…we didn't ask him to."

"Hm."

"We pretty much owe him everything, so the only respectful thing to do was to work for him. I'm truly grateful. Those girls mean a lot to me."

"They're a…lovely bunch…" he commented through gritted teeth.

"Don't lie to me. I know them inside and out. They can be far from lovely." She smiled.

"Well, I'm gonna head on back to my room. Thanks for the chat. It was the only decent one I've had all day…well, besides the one with Stark this morning."

"Stark…that man…so lazy. I hope he has a bright future ahead of him. Grimmjow as well." She said knowingly.

"Thanks." Ichigo blushed.

"By the way, the girl you're seeking is doing fine. I spoke to her earlier this morning after bringing her breakfast. She seemed in good spirits. Don't worry about her so much."

"Th-thank you Halibel. I hope your future is bright too." He smiled warmly.

"Well, I've got work to do. See you around I suppose." She said, taking her leave.

" _I wonder what Aizen would do without any security…"_

Ichigo began making his way back up to his room. For now, he knew that Inoue was safe. And he would probably see Grimmjow again tonight when Aizen left. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel terrible for all the people who worked for Aizen. No matter how condescending, impolite, aggressive, or angry they were, they  _were_  people. He was now beginning to rethink his plan. He wanted to think of one that included saving these people here as well as Grimmjow and Inoue. Well, the ones who wanted to be saved anyway.


	17. Together as One

Inoue stared solemnly out one of the windows of the Penthouse. She had been seated in the same spot she was currently in since earlier that day. It was now nearing dusk and she could tell. The clouds were now vibrant hues of orange, pink and purple as the sun pierced through them. A sight she would have normally seen from her own apartment on any normal day.

She frowned and felt her eyes tearing up. Ichigo had come and put himself in danger for her sake. To bring her back from this place, he willingly threw himself in the lion's den.

"It's all my fault…" she sobbed.

Tears flowed heavily down her cheeks and she covered her mouth with her hand to keep her whimpering to a minimal tone. It was unbelievably quiet after all.

"Kurosaki-kun wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me. But…"

With her free hand, she gripped her other arm tightly.

"But… There must be something I can do here. If I… If I could somehow stop Aizen, then Kurosaki-kun would be safe."

Though the thought sounded nice when verbalized, she knew there was nothing she could be able to do to Aizen. Ichigo would never forgive himself if she sacrificed herself in such a manner.

"Kurosaki-kun. Why did you come? Was I really worth the danger?" she asked, trying to dry her eyes.

* * *

Senna shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited in front of the Kurosaki Clinic. It had been a few days, and she hadn't seen anyone, not even Ichigo. The break had been unbearably boring without anyone around. She even yearned for Renji's stupid face. Though, his was the last one she wanted to see amongst them.

Impatiently, she rang the door bell again.

"It's too cold out here!" she squealed when she realized she had lost the feeling in her fingers.

Yuzu opened the door and smiled, "Hi Senna! Come in please."

"Thanks!" she replied, running by her almost as soon as the girl spoke.

"What brings you here? If you don't mind me asking."

"I came to see what Ichigo was up to." She replied, looking up the stairs.

"Oh, he's not here right now… I think he's staying with Grimmjow."

"WHAT?"

"Mmhmm. He said he was going to see Grimmjow when he left, but that was a few days ago."

Senna stopped taking her boots off and paused.

"Well, I guess I'll have to go check there."

"Are you sure? It's cold outside and I'd hate to think you're going to walk all the way to Grimmjow's house from here."

The orange-eyed girl paused. She had a point. There was no way she wanted to walk in this weather. But for Ichigo, she felt that she could.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be okay." She smiled.

"A-are you sure?"

"Yup!"

Before Yuzu could speak another word, Senna had gone as quickly as she had come.

* * *

"Hey baka! Your boyfriend is here to see you!" Jinta yelled from the front of Urahara's Shop.

"Forgive Jinta-kun's rudeness please. Abarai-san will be out to see you in just a few moments." Ururu apologized.

"Oh, thank you." Shuhei spoke, flustered by Jinta's bluntness.

Renji appeared from the back of the shop with an angry mug directed at the other redheaded boy.

"You can be such a brat you know?" he spoke.

"Shut up! You're a bigger brat than me!" Jinta angrily retorted.

"Hey, Renji." Shuhei's expression lightened when he saw his boyfriend.

"Yo." Renji said.

"So what do you wanna do today?"

"I wanna go see Rukia, if you're cool with that." He responded.

"All right."

Although it was well known that Renji liked Rukia, Shuhei had long since put it out of his mind. At the point when he started liking Renji, he knew he was interested in the girl. But that was an obstacle he decided to see past in order to reach the goal. And Renji assured him that Rukia was not an issue for their relationship.

"Let's go then. I can't stand to look at that brat another second." Renji snidely remarked in Jinta's direction.

Urahara sat quietly in the next room, listening to their conversation. He couldn't help but remember a certain blue-haired man that had visited him a few days ago in search of a missing person.

Flashback

_Ururu and Jinta hurried back to the room where Urahara was reading. When they told him there was a strange man in the lobby, he couldn't help his curiosity so he followed them as they led the way. It was also his job to make sure there were no shady characters roaming about the town, let alone his own shop._

" _Who might you be?" he asked as he laid eyes on the blue haired male._

" _That doesn't matter. I'm looking for someone and I need your help."_

" _Oh? Just who are you looking for? And how long have they been missing?"_

" _Kurosaki, Ichigo." He replied._

_Urahara raised an eyebrow, "Why are you looking for him?"_

" _He's…my boyfriend…"_

" _No way!" Jinta said, "Someone so tough looking is…is gay?"_

" _You wanna lose your ability to speak kid?" Grimmjow asked._

" _Please excuse Jinta-kun." Ururu commented, bowing forward apologetically._

" _How do you know he's missing?" Urahara asked._

" _All right. Let me rephrase this. He's been kidnapped. My boss called me to tell me that he collected him."_

" _Who's your boss?"_

" _If I tell you, you promise to help me?"_

" _Of course, that's my job after all." Urahara smiled creepily._

" _Sosuke Aizen."_

" _Ichigo was nabbed by Aizen? He's done for!" Jinta remarked with a grim look on his face._

" _Can you help me or not Police Chief?"_

" _I'll have my men get on the job. As for you, don't do anything unnecessary and just go home for now." Urahara said as he receeded into the back of his shop._

End Flashback

"What adolescents these days get themselves into." He spoke to himself.

"Urahara-san, do you think his friends will get in the way of this case?" Tessai asked.

"It's hard to tell. But I have another team ready to keep Kurosaki's other friends out of harm's way even if they do show up. The three held up in Los Noches are in my hands, and I can't let Aizen bring harm to them. Kurosaki has unknowingly given me the perfect opportunity to bring down one of the biggest threats in Japan, but that doesn't mean he and his loved ones should become casualties." He replied.

"You wouldn't mean the Visored Squad, would you?" a man asked as he entered the room.

"Agh! Don't creep around like that! You'll give me a heart attack!" Urahara shouted then calmed himself, "Mr. Undercover Agent."

"Are you sure it was a good idea to put them in harm's way for these files?" the man asked.

"So far I have things under control. Those three troublemakers provided me the perfect opportunity to strike. I'll have to make sure they get off easy when all is said and done."

"You know, their 'leader' has malicious intent towards the Inoue girl. She practically radiates with it."

"Inoue is strong. I know she can handle herself. And Ichigo is there so I'm not so worried."

"I sure hope you're right… Anyway, I'll be getting back. Can't be away from my job for too long." He said before preparing to depart.

* * *

Ishida stepped out of his cab and walked up the path that led to Rukia's mansion. He had to discuss something with her, and he had a feeling she would be well aware of the situation.

Before he rang the doorbell, Chad appeared at the end of the driveway.

"Sado, why have you come here?" he asked when the other got close enough.

"I need to see if Inoue is here. I had been to her apartment three days in a row but got no answer."

"I guess we're on the same page then." He commented, adjusting his glasses.

Rukia appeared in the window and almost choked on her spoon from the cereal she was eating.

"You fools!" she shouted as she opened the door to let them in, "Why are you just standing outside in the cold like that? Ring a doorbell to let people know when you're at their house."

"How'd you know we were here?" Ishida asked.

"Cameras monitor the yards. I saw a cab drive up and wondered who it could be."

"We have something we need to discuss." Chad commented.

"Come on in. We can talk in my room." she gestured.

* * *

"So you know?"

"I had a feeling something was amiss… Inoue must be in danger."

"What should we do?" Chad asked.

"We don't know where she is… Maybe we should contact Kurosaki and ask if he's seen her."

"That won't get you anywhere." Senna commented as she appeared from the hallway.

"S-Senna?" Ishida jumped.

"How did you get in?" Rukia asked.

"Your handsome older brother let me in. All I said was I needed to see you." She smirked.

"Hello there friends of Itsygo!" Neliel shouted.

"Who are you!" Rukia asked wide-eyed.

"I'm Grimmjow's little sister! I came because there's nothing to do while school's out."

Everyone threw her a suspicious look.

"And I'm worried…!" she spoke, feeling like a criminal in an interrogation, "Grimm has been gone for a few days. He left in a fit of anger at that. This girl showed up looking for him and Itsygo, so I told her what happened before they left."

"She followed me here." Senna commented behind her hand.

"I can still hear you!"

"What do you mean by 'that won't get us anywhere'?" Ishida turned and asked Senna.

"Ichigo isn't at home. His sister said he's been gone for a few days as well." She replied as she walked over and took a seat on a large pillow on the floor, followed by Neliel.

"I wanna help you guys find Itsygo and my brother." Neliel spoke.

"His name's ICHI-GO!" Rukia corrected, unwilling to listen to her say it wrong anymore.

"It's like we've become detectives or something…" Senna said.

"Ichigo and his idiot boyfriend are missing? I don't like the sound of that…" Renji added as he and Shuhei entered Rukia's room.

"Renji! What are  _you_ doing here?" Senna asked.

"I could ask you the same thing!" he retorted, shocked to see her sitting comfortably in _Rukia's_  room.

"Ichigo and Grimmjow aren't the only ones missing. Inoue is too." Rukia informed him.

"Inoue?" he asked.

"Yes. It wouldn't be out of reason to assume she went missing first." she said, taking note of all the people gathered in her room.

"Why's that?" Senna asked.

"Because then whoever took her had bait to lure Ichigo to them. Duh!" Renji spoke as if from on high to an inferior subject.

"Ooh! I just can't stand you!" Senna cringed.

"But then how would Grimmjow be involved in this?" Neliel asked.

Ishida adjusted his glasses. The others, despite Ichigo's insistence to not tell them, needed to know what was going on. He had the strongest feeling the infamous druglord had something to do with their disappearances.

"Wait, did you just call Grimmjow an idiot?" Neliel asked looking in Renji's direction.

* * *

_Their mission, the protection of Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends._

* * *

"I have just confirmed it."

"You're sure you're not joking this time, right Mashiro?"

"Yes, baka! I saw them all go to the same place. I'm sitting in a car just across the street!" the girl squealed.

"Keep it down Mashiro! Sheesh! How on earth you got to be a spy is beyond me." A blonde man commented, sinking lower into his seat.

"Who was it again?" the man on the receiver asked.

"Well, Kuchiki Rukia, Ishida Uryu, Yasutora Sado, Neliel Tu Odershvank, an unidentified female, Abarai Renji, and Hisagi Shuhei have all converged into the Kuchiki mansion."

"Hey Kensei, what do we do from here?" the blonde man asked over Mashiro's voice into her headset.

"Shut the hell up Hirako! I didn't catch the last names!" Kensei shouted.

"Well, he's right… We don't know what to do from here. Our job is to ensure none of the others are brought into this, so should we detain them?" Mashiro asked.

"No. No. Then they'd know something was up. And we have no grounds for detaining them to begin with. Just continue to monitor them and report back later. And get more info on the unidentified female." He replied, then hung up.

"Kensei is such a meanine sometimes…"

* * *

Lisa, a girl skilled at computer hacking and data analysis, browsed through the files on the flash drive given to her by their undercover agent. Each one had been encrypted and she couldn't exactly get what she needed from them. Not to mention they had been modified in some fashion she had never encountered before so duplicating them was far from an option.

"Any luck?" a man approached her from behind and peered over her shoulder.

"None. This data is far from useful in this investigation. Though I'd hate to admit it, it will require someone more advanced in this field than me to use this against Aizen." She replied.

"Well that's no good. Now we can't apprehend him."

"Don't give up just yet. I'll keep working until I can break these codes and get to what's lying beneath them."

The man with long blonde hair went and took a seat in the chair located in the center of the room.

"I wonder when Hachi and Love will get back." He said.

"Your job, along with Love's is to be out in the field performing arrests. Why are you even here?" Lisa asked, taking a glance over her shoulder.

"Well, simply put, I got bored."

"You're taking things lightly." A girl commented as she took a seat across from him.

"Hiyori, why didn't you go with Hirako and Mashiro?" he asked.

"I can't work with Hirako around. He's annoying." She commented.

"Does someone have a crush? It's okay to be interested in boys you know." Lisa spoke.

"Shut up, Lisa! You couldn't be further from the truth! And Rose, I'll kill you for even thinking that!"

* * *

Luppi woke up on a stiff couch. The room he was in was dark, apart from the minimal natural light of the sun coming in from the curtains. He touched his forehead and cringed when he felt a sharp pain. Grimmjow had used more force than necessary to subdue him. For that, he would make him pay. In his eyes, it was like Grimmjow was an untrained dog who needed discipline to know how to behave.

Thinking about the way he acted towards him, Luppi found himself utterly disgusted. He had no right to treat him the way he did. All he ever wanted was to take care of the lowly bastard and please him, but Grimmjow was having none of that.

When he thought of that orange haired guy Grimmjow was so fond of, he unintentionally grinded his teeth together. What did he have that was so great? What made the one he wanted more than anything want someone like him so badly?

He took a look around the room, not really making out much from the meager light flowing in.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked, seeking someone's attention.

"Calm down. You're with me and Menoly." Loli spoke, turning in his direction.

"How splendid…"

"Hey! It was no picnic bringing you all the way up here! Be grateful!" Menoly spoke angrily.

"Anyway, I heard about what happened. Grimmjow took you out without even using his hands." Loli grinned.

"Bitch."

"Too bad. Looks like the only one you'll be able to handle will be that Kurosaki boy. Grimmjow is in a whole different league." She continued, "And we just so happen to know where he is."

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Him  _and_ his princess."

* * *

Ichigo lay silently on the bed in his room staring at the ceiling. He hadn't seen anyone but Grimmjow, Stark, and a few other people who work at Los Noches in quite a while. Of course, he was wondering how everyone was doing. If they were enjoying their time off from school, or aimlessly squandering their time with trivialities.

It was likely that Renji was spending lots of time with Shuhei. Having sex most likely. Renji was  _that_  kind of guy. Poor Sado was probably all alone in his apartment. He would have to make an effort to visit him when he got the chance. That is, if he got away from this alive. Ishida, the bookworm he is, was probably studying when he could be doing anything but. Rukia was probably neck deep in a new anime and eating her weight in marshmallows. Senna was probably playing The Legend of Zelda again. Why that girl insisted on sticking with Ocarina of Time was beyond him. All the other games were cool too.

"Everyone, I hope you're safe."

Then his mind wandered to the one who was fifty-one floors above him. Inoue. How lonely she must be. How lonely this was now for her. But, this was likely nothing compared to what she felt when she was at home. All alone with nothing but the memory of a brother. Why any parent would abuse her was beyond him. It was a story he never really believed. Maybe her parents are royalty and want her to know the life of a normal person. Besides that, it was unfair how alone she was.

"Inoue. I'll see you soon. I promise. Wait for me."

A habit he had developed since he was a child. Saying his innermost desires out loud as though they were promises to be fulfilled. And promises were something he wasn't fond of breaking.

Never had he ever wanted to see all his friends this badly. Just to hear them laughing, to see their smiles again. What would he be willing to do for that? What would he be willing to sacrifice?

Grimmjow. Of all the people he was concerned about, Grimmjow had become second on the list. It was terrible to see him in such a beaten and battered shape all the time. The past two days he visited were the worst. He had bruises and cuts, not to mention whip marks on his torso. The only reason Inoue was at the top of his worry list was because he hadn't actually  _seen_ her since he arrived.

He was sure to see Grimmjow again tonight when Aizen left. And if he wasn't mistaken, tomorrow was the day Grimmjow would officially be freed from his cell. That also meant he would have to begin searching for Aizen's missing files.

He was successfully disrupted from his thoughts when his door unlocked and Stark entered.

"Where's Grimmjow?" he asked.

"Still in his cell. It's only five o'clock. Aizen-sama won't leave for quite some time. Besides that…"

"What is it?"

"Would you like to see the girl?"


	18. For a Friend

Aizen was not the type of man to lose his composure, even in the most taxing situations. He had sidestepped, outmaneuvered, and utterly defeated anyone who had ever dared to stand in his way. He framed innocent people for crimes he commited without an ounce of remorse. That was how he reached the top. That was the only way to reach the top in this world.

As he sat in the back seat of his limo while cruising through the night city, he couldn't help but ponder where this hectic nonsense he had been dealing with had come from. Albeit, it was not his most intelligent move to keep records of those he had killed, but once the number grew to substantial amounts, he needed to keep up with the stories he was feeding the authorities. It was also nice to go back and admire his accomplishments. No one under him would be foolish enough to double cross him while knowing the consequences. Not even Grimmjow.  _Especially_  not Grimmjow.

The child had served him efficiently all these years, and now he suddenly decides to strike against him? It didn't make sense. Even when Tousen alerted him to the man's betrayal, he didn't believe it. Grimmjow was not smart. He didn't truly plan things through. There wasn't even a ghost of a chance for him to pull off something this big. Moreover, there were only a select few in his whole company who he had even personally told about Project Hogyoku.

He stared coldly out the window as he contemplated his situation while on his way back to his estate. All the while remembering all the fantastic jobs Grimmjow had done for him. Of course, he wasn't the employee of the year when it came to sales, but his defiance in the bedroom was what he recalled to be the boy's true capacity.

He smiled grimly out his window as he remembered his first time trying him on.

Flashback

" _What's the big deal?" Grimmjow asked as he was forced into Aizen's main office._

" _You've been stealing dozens of bottles of MDMA for three weeks straight. Did you think we wouldn't notice? It's time you face Aizen-sama and accept your punishment, whatever it may be." Tousen said as he closed the door and stood in front of it to keep the boy from escaping._

" _So, Grimmjow. I do believe this is the first time we've met. You started working for me about 5 months ago correct?" Aizen asked, head leaning on his hand._

" _Yeah. To be honest, I never expected to be staying this long." The boy replied._

_Aizen ignored that last comment and continued, "You're…fourteen years old correct? Same age as Stark?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _He doesn't add much to this business at the moment. I hardly use him because he's so young and frail. In fact, I think I've only seen him here thrice."_

"' _Your point?" Grimmjow asked, unwilling to carry on a pointless conversation._

" _Just making an observation. He's quite a handsome young man, but it seems he would be a little…submissive."_

" _What does that have to do with anything?"_

" _Besides the likelihood of him being taken advantage of out on the streets, I'm a man who takes what I want at the exact moment I want it. But I have no interest in the lazy who would easily submit to power. It makes things a lot less interesting, wouldn't you agree?" he smiled._

" _Shall I tend to business elsewhere Aizen-sama?" Tousen asked._

" _Oh, yes. Please leave us Kaname. I'll call for you to come and retrieve him once I'm finished with him."_

" _Yes, Aizen-sama. Please, take all the time you need." The man ended, leaving the room and locking the door._

" _Grimmjow, I'd like to offer you a choice. You can beg for forgiveness for stealing from me, or I can break your manhood to atone for it."_

" _L-like hell I'd pick either choice! How about a third choice? You can kill me now, and see it done. I don't have anybody to live for anyway!" blue eyes flashed brightly in the dim room._

" _I could kill you. But where's the entertainment in that? Besides, I offered you two fairly decent choices. How can someone so powerless as you dare to try my patience with such an offer?"_

" _Hear me now, Aizen. One day, I'll have more power than you'll ever dream of having. I don't know how, but I'll show you you're not even on my radar, you fucking loser!"_

_Aizen stood abruptly from his chair, walked over to the boy, placed his hand around his neck, and forced him to the floor._

" _Come again if you please."_

_Grimmjow gasped for air. Aizen's grip was too tight around his neck for a steady intake of air. He felt like his throat was being pulled out from the force of his hand._

" _C-c-can't-can't-breathe!" he managed._

" _You want oxygen? You want to breathe? You want to live?" Aizen asked calmly._

_Grimmjow gripped the man's arm and dug his fingernails into it. If he was gonna die, he wasn't going down quietly._

" _Aargh!"_

_With his free hand, Aizen grabbed one of the boy's arms and bent it out of place causing his eyes to go wide. When he saw this reaction, he smirked._

" _L-let-lemme-g"_

_Before he could finish mustering his words, Aizen released him leaving him gasping for what little air he could obtain._

" _It's the ultimate feeling to have another man so stubborn and unbreakable submitting to you. And even though I despise your existence, I also adore it. Now, for the rest of your time in this life, you shall submit to me. My will. My plans. My desires."_

_After those words, he bent down and stared deeply into blue eyes through heavily cast shadows. Moving even closer, he forced his lips on the panting boy's below him. Despite the deep wounds on his arm, he felt drawn to him. Those malicious blue eyes and hateful words he spoke drove him near insane._

_Grimmjow lay on the floor, unable to move. He was still trying to breathe so there was little he could do to defend himself. Suddenly, he felt his pants being removed and no sooner did a hand slide down past his genetals to reach his nether regions._

" _It won't be this way each time. Rest assured you'll learn to submit to me." Aizen said as he inserted three fingers into Grimmjow's clenched hole, causing him to cry out._

_He took his time trying to stretch the boy. It would have been easier had he used lubrication, but he wanted to boy to feel more pain than pleasure._

_After getting enough room, he lowered his pants with his free hand before removing his fingers, then positioned himself for entry. He made sure to get a good look into those blue eyes before forcing his way into his hole._

" _Tell me. How does it feel to be dominated? Someone like you. So proud and indestructible, wreathing and crying below me. How does it feel?"_

" _Get off of me!" Grimmjow shouted with all his strength._

_Aizen slid himself in and out of the boy's tight hole, ignoring his shouts and tears. Everything and everyone in Los Noches belonged to him. He would do with them as he pleased. One mouthy, defiant teenager was no exception to that rule._

" _I'm your master. You'll do as I command. Not the other way around. Take it like the man you think you are."_

" _I hate you you fucking demon!" Grimmjow shouted, angrier than he had ever been before._

" _I don't want to sully the carpet, so I'll leave my essence inside you." He smirked._

" _You'll regret the day I entered your business. I swear that on my life!"_

End Flashback

Although that happened years ago, he remembered it like it was yesterday. No other employee gave him such a rush. Which is why he was intent on keeping Grimmjow around until death broke their bond.

Gradually, the boy lost his will to fight against him when he felt the urge to show him his place, but the hate still burned clearly in his eyes. That was easy to see.

Even though, now a fully grown man, Grimmjow despised him, Aizen knew he wouldn't try something as foolish as stealing something as important as his files from him.

"As God, I know all. I know it was none other than you who would be this foolish to stand against me. But…no one would be able to do such a thing alone…" he spoke calmly.

Now all that was left to do was to wait. He would wait until the fool was brave enough to face him. He would strip him of everything he clung to in this life and show him how feeble his attempt was.

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay for me to see her?" Ichigo asked as he followed Stark past the rooms of the top floor. He was finally about to enter the elevator that led to the Penthouse.

It was now past eleven. Aizen had left the office to return home over an hour ago. The whole time after Stark had left him after asking if he wanted to see Inoue, he had been eager and waiting.

"Didn't I tell you it was okay? I'm in charge of guarding her tonight. It's a pain because I'm usually back at home by this time, but I can't let this chance slip away." He complained more than answered.

"Stark…" Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks.

"Huh?"

"Why…why are you doing this? Why have you been helping me like this? Aren't I the enemy? And…aren't you endangering your own life by going against what Aizen says?" he asked, staring directly at the man.

"Well, it's a pain of course, but…Grimmjow is a friend. He gave me a whole new outlook on life years ago and I couldn't be more grateful to him for it. And since you're his boyfriend, I can't sit by and watch you suffer. It'd never clear my conscious if I did. I'd lose sleep and everything. So there's your answer…Or, a half-assed one anyway. Wouldn't you do the same? Well," he smiled, "I suppose I don't even need to ask. You're here because you want to save this girl. That's all the answer I need."

"So basically you're just easily haunted by your conscious. But, I'm glad you're a person like that. I promise I'll save her…and everyone who helped me here. Including you."

"…I-Idiot…We don't need saving..." Stark responded.

"Even so, I can't turn my back when someone like Aizen is around. Not when such good people work for him."

"…We've talked enough. Now let's keep going before I change my mind."

* * *

Grimmjow sat angrily in the corner of his cell. Stark had yet to come and get him like he promised.

"Kurosaki…"

Of all the people to get caught up in this mess, Kurosaki and his ditzy friend  _had_  to be the ones. Ridiculous. He wanted, with everthing he had, to keep this cherished item out of Aizen's reach. For him to even consider someone as such a thing was something he never would have expected.

Ever since he was little, he was looked down upon. His parents didn't care for him and ultimately split up. His mentors labled him unlikable, unteachable, disrespectful, scornful, spiteful, mentally challenged, and so many other names that he had remembered. It wasn't his fucking fault. His home life was absolutely shitty. Things got better once Neliel was adopted because she took the attention away from him, but that only gave rise to his father's discovery of his actions with other men which caused him to further distance himself from the boy.

Flashback

_Now thirteen years old, Grimmjow had began masturbating at every chance he got. All the time he would go up to his room and lock himself in to do the deed._

_Tonight was different. One of the people he had met in school, Stark, had actually come over to visit him. Stark's visits were usually frequent to the point where he came over almost every Friday. This particular Friday, however, Grimmjow approached him with an idea._

" _Don't be such a wet blanket, Stark." Grimmjow said._

" _I-I'm not. I just don't want to touch another guy's dick._ " _He responded defensively._

" _What's the harm? You like your dick don't you? What's wrong with touching someone else's?"_

" _I-I don't know! It's weird. And we've been taught that it's wrong! A sin in fact!"_

" _You gotta live a little. You can't live your life by a book. You need to go out and experience things on your own. You think every person before this Jesus guy came went to Hell? No. There were good people out there who may have done bad things at times, but they were still good. Don't rely so heavily on the preachings of the insecure."_

" _You sure know how to get smart when something you're after is staring you in the face…"_

" _C'mon. Okay. I'll touch you. You don't have to touch me back. But if you like what I'm doing, then you can do it to me." He offered._

"… _O-okay. We're likely to burn in Hell, but fine. I don't want to live a life on a strict regime anyway."_

" _Now you're talkin!" Grimmjow grinned._

_He moved closer to the other and gently touched his cloth-covered crotch. Then, he slowly undid his belt and zipper._

" _This feels kind of weird…" Stark spoke, face getting red._

" _You're gonna like this, I promise. I mean, who knows a guy's equipment better than another guy right?"_

_Stark covered his eyes and looked away when he felt his zipper being undone. Something like this was way out of line. But Grimmjow was too persuasive and persistent. He jumped when he felt sweaty fingers touching his penis._

_Grimmjow played with the softened member until he felt it getting stiff. Then he began stroking it. It felt good. It felt amazing to touch another person in this way. He only wished Stark would grow a pair and touch him back._

" _Does this feel good?" he asked._

" _It doesn't feel_ bad. _"_

" _What are you thinking about now?"_

" _I'm thinking what a different feeling this is from my own hand…" Stark answered, turning slowly to watch Grimmjow work._

" _You wanna touch me?" the bluenette asked._

" _Kinda…"_

" _Then do it."_

" _O-okay. Don't make me feel like I have to."_

_Grimmjow had already undone his pants and had his member at the ready, Stark noticed. He cautiously took it into his hand and began playing with it. He touched the head and ran his finger over the slit before he gripped the base and began stroking._

" _See, this isn't as terrible as you think."_

" _I guess not…"_

_Suddenly the door opened, revealing Grimmjow's father who stopped and was frozen with horrification._

" _Grimmjow! What are you doing in here!" he asked._

_Stark quickly retracted his hand and covered himself._

" _I can't believe what I'm seeing! My own son! My only son! Doing something as horrible as this! Your…your friend is going home, and you are not to speak to him again! We'll talk once I get back!" he shouted before shutting the door._

_Stark took this as his chance and quickly fixed his pants._

_Both boys heard a loud scream from the living room, which resulted in an even louder cry from Neliel who was probably scared since she was never introduced to this side of her father._

" _I told you it was a sin!" he shouted at Grimmjow, "Did he hit Neliel he was so mad?"_

" _No, she just scares easy. He likes her too much to lay a finger on her. Anyway, he'll get over it. I'd rather burn in Hell than live in Heaven with him."_

" _That's why…that's exactly why I said I wasn't gonna live a strict regime by the preachings of a book. I couldn't live being like your dad… I wanna live as free as I want to from now on. Grimmjow, I'd like to do this more with you, but it'll have to stop someday."_

" _I promise it will. For now though, I'll deal with my dad."_

End Flashback

Friends who came into his life, Kurosaki and his friends, Neliel, everyone. He was no longer that child everyone looked down on. He was a man with strong ties to those around him. And of all those ties, he wasn't about to let his and Kurosaki's be cut.

"Who knew I'd have something I want to protect…Me of all people."

"Do you always talk to yourself? Are you just that creepy?" a man asked approaching from the dark end of the room, making Grimmjow nearly jump out of his skin.

"The fuck are you doing down here? And what are you doing here so late anyway?" he asked.

"I just wanted to pass on some information. Kurosaki Ichigo's friends have gathered and are looking for him and the Inoue girl. Also, Neliel is among them so I assume they're looking for  _you_  as well."

"What?"

"It's true. All of them. I got reports earlier today that they gathered at the Kuchiki mansion and spent most of the day out gathering what intelligence they could. Quite an admirable bunch I'd say." The man spoke, leaning against the wall.

"Those…those idiots! They should realize there's no way to find out where we've gone! No one knows I work for Aizen but Kurosaki!"

"Well, I think you may be underestimating their determination and information. Anyway, just thought I'd let you know. I'm gonna head home now. No point in my staying here longer than I have to."

Grimmjow watched the man disappear all the way down to the opposite end of the hall of empty cells. Suddenly, he heard a metal object hit the floor.

He crawled to the cell door and stuck his hand outside the bars until he touched it. It was a key! The key to his cell!

"No point in you staying in there when you'll be released tomorrow! Be ready for the showdown in two days!" the man shouted as his parting words.

"Showdown? Just what the hell is that guy up to?" he asked out loud.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue shouted.

"Inoue! You're okay!" he responded.

The girl ran up to him and threw her arms around him, sobbing deeply into his chest.

"Oh Kurosaki-kun! Why! Why did you come here for me?"

"I could never abandon a friend." Ichigo spoke tenderly.

"I-I"

"You must be so lonely up here. But don't worry, I'm bringing you home safe with me. I promise you I won't lose to Aizen. All he has money and power riding on this. I have you and Grimmjow along with everyone else back home."

"Oh shit! I forgot about Grimmjow!" Stark bursted out suddenly.

Ichigo glanced slowly around the Penthouse's main room. It was even more lavish than his own. Perfectly fit for an important guest…or maybe where Aizen spent his time when he wasn't back at his house. It didn't faze him though. He was just glad that Aizen had shown her some decency although he was behind her kidnapping to begin with.

"Inoue, who was it that brought you here?" he asked her calmly.

"Who? Um. I don't really know…I've never seen him before. He was tall and dark is about all I can remember before…" Inoue paused.

"Before what, Inoue?"

"Before everything went black. That's all I can remember." She continued, conveniently leaving out the bit about the chloroform mask.

"I see. Well, there are a lot of tall dark guys around here. Aizen sure keeps brute force close to home..."

"Kurosaki-kun…"

"Hey…uh, do you want to go and see Grimmjow?" Stark asked.

Ichigo turned and looked at him, "No. I can see him tomorrow. This will be my only chance to see Inoue for a while so I'm gonna try and talk with her. Figure things out, you know…"

"All right. I'll wait outside." He said, knowing Ichigo would most likely want to give Inoue her privacy for the night. After they finished talking, it was safe to assume he'd want to return to his own room.

After Stark exited the room, Ichigo turned back to Inoue, "I-I can't take you with me just yet, Inoue. But I promise I'll be back for you."

"Don't worry about me. I'm made of pretty tough stuff!" she smiled, effectively keeping herself from crying.

"It's okay to cry. I feel myself tearing up too…I'm just so relieved." Ichigo's voice faltered as he spoke.

He couldn't help it. Inoue was safe and sound, just as Halibel and Grimmjow had told him. Though, Grimmjow was only speaking from theory.

"Okay" the girl responded with eyes full of tears.

"Like I said, I would never turn my back on a friend."

"Deep in my heart, I knew you'd come after me. That's all I thought when things went black back then. Are the others safe?"

"I don't know. I didn't tell any of them about where I was going though. Ishida is the only one who knows about what's been going on…I can't apologize enough for having you sucked into this."

"It's not your fault so don't apologize, Kurosaki-kun." She insisted.

"Well, Ishida had a great plan that should put Aizen behind bars for good. Grimmjow has been playing an active role in it without even knowing it."

"Really? What kind of plan is it?"

Ichigo sighed. There would be no harm in telling Inoue.

* * *

"Ishida, that's brilliant! I knew your brain would end up saving the day!" Senna shouted.

"Than-"

"Just what you'd expect from Mr. Genius." Renji interrupted.

"Well-"

"You may have just saved their lives." Rukia added.

"I wouldn-"

"But doesn't that put my brother's life at risk?" Neliel asked.

"In a sense it d-"

"Ichigo and Inoue's lives are in danger as well. No one is safe." Chad replied.

"Can I speak uninterrupted please!" Ishida immediately apologized for losing his composure.

Everyone was still gathered in Rukia's room at the Kuchiki mansion. Rukia eagerly invited them all to spend the night. The house had more than enough room to accomidate them. Shuhei and Renji would share a room. Ishida and Chad would do the same. Senna and Neliel would sleep in her room in her oversized bed. However, sleep was the last thing any of them were thinking about. Since they had all arrived, they had been drawing together all the facts to figure out where Ichigo, Inoue and Grimmjow could be. After Ishida revealed Grimmjow's involvement with Aizen, and his plan to counter, they had decided they couldn't sit back and do nothing.

"Your plan will mean nothing if they don't make it out alive." Shuhei commented.

Of course, this was true. But the whole goal in this plan of Ishida's was to save the two idiots and Inoue. Long before anything had happened, he had already assumed Aizen would strike in a manner that would draw Ichigo into his reach. Who better to take than the girl he went out of his way to protect? This would undoubtedly get Grimmjow's attention and be all the motivation he'd need to do anything the man wanted him to.

He had gone to the underground world to get all the info he could on Aizen after he and Kurosaki parted ways at Inoue's before she went missing.

Flashback

_Ishida stood, angered with the man standing before him in the alleyway._

" _Only way I talk about Aizen is if you buy from me." He said._

" _Why would you propose such an offer?" Ishida asked._

" _I haven't been making it so well when it comes to sales these days. If I don't do something quick, Aizen will cut me loose. I'm sure you can understand what a man like him would do to someone who is considered useless, but knows a little about his dealings."_

" _Why do you all follow him? Knowing what could happen, you all still elect to remain under his control."_

" _Because he's strong. He has influence all over Japan. But I wouldn't expect a nurtured, protected, rich brat like you to understand that. Are you gonna buy or what?"_

_Ishida put his arm to the man's neck and forced him against the wall, "What do you know! My friends and family are all under Aizen's watch and it's only a matter of time before he strikes! Speak now!" he ordered._

" _O-okay! Okay! Shit!"_

" _What do you know of that could bring Aizen down?"_

" _P-Project Hogyoku! It's the only thing he keeps that could possibly get him arrested, if not the death penalty!"_

" _Project Hogyoku? What is it?"_

" _It's his history in digital files somewhere in Los Noches. The history of his slaughtering people he double-crossed, and of those who double-crossed him. I've only hear rumors of it though! Everyone in Los Noches hears about it at least once in their lives."_

" _Why would someone so high up keep something that could bring them down like that?" Ishida asked himself out loud._

" _Alibis."_

" _Alibis?"_

" _Yeah. You can't expect someone who's killed as many as he has to remember everything he told the police can you?" the man gasped._

_Ishida knew all he needed to to figure out the next turn of events. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone went missing._

" _H-hey! You gotta buy something! This information wasn't free!" the man shouted as Ishida released him and began walking away._

" _Don't worry about your sales. You won't have a boss for much longer." He responded as he disappeared into the light at the end of the alley._

End Flashback

When he found out about this Project Hogyoku, he knew Aizen would do anything to anyone who would even think of betraying him. He also knew it would only be a matter of time before someone framed someone else for stealing from it. Aizen may have thought his strategy was flawless, kidnapping Inoue therefore drawing Kurosaki to him with the intention of showing Jaegerjaques he was morethan serious, but Ishida had been a strategist before he could speak.

The only difference between him and Aizen was he had no power on his side. Then again, looking around, he relinquished that thought. He had friends like these who were dead set in helping each other out, not to mention Karakura's law enforcement.

From two different walks of life, these two master strategists were clashing. Aizen had three pieces that belonged to him in this game, but his main battalion was on its way to get them back. The thought that their bonds were this strong that they could take something this big on was encouraging.

"I understand that full well. But I have no intention of falling short to a drug lord." He responded, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, when do we head to Los Noches?" Chad asked, ready to move out at anytime.

Just then, everyone's phones began vibrating and ringinig.

After pulling them out, they saw a text message that read,  _"Show up at Los Noches in two days for your friends. And family for you, green-haired girl. :D"_

"What's this supposed to mean?" Renji asked.

Rukia looked around at everyone else for a moment. Then she turned her attention to Neliel. How on earth did whoever sent this know what they were planning? More importantly, how did they know Neliel had green hair?

"Someone is spying on us!" she realized.

Everyone paused and the room became unbearably quiet. The wind outside was the only thing audible for any of them now.

"…Yeah, but even so, they seem to be on our side…" Senna commented, breaking the silence.

* * *

"Ugh, I'll catch a cold out here!" Mashiro commented from up in a tree in the Kuchiki yard. She pulled out a tissue and wiped her nose.


	19. Demise of Illusions

The clock ticked audibly in the quiet lobby of Los Noches. The girl at the counter, Sun Sun, distracted herself from its noise by looking out the main entrance where the sunset had fallen on another day. Surprisingly, it wasn't very cloudy today. The winter storm that had been inflicting Karakura was beginning to pass. In fact, it would be March soon which meant spring was just around the corner. She was looking forward to seeing the cherry blossom trees bloom again.

Finding her thoughts somewhat underwhelming, she pulled out a book and began reading. This was something she wasn't able to do when she was in the presence of Mila Rose and, worst of all, Apache. They were usually laughing, gossiping, arguing, or actually fighting. Her own arguments with Apache never led to violence. It was a fight the other was sure to lose. If those two weren't bad enough, all the shady characters that wandered into the facility wishing to speak with Aizen personally were far worse. Honestly, who did they think they were?

This thought caused her to think about that orange-haired boy who had been aimlessly roaming about lately. Just what was up with that anyway? Was he a new employee? He sure didn't seem like one. And he was far too inquisitive for someone who actually worked under Aizen.

Again, she turned her attention back to her book. It was far more entertaining than the thought of that bothersome, illmannered, unseemly nuisance. Just as she was getting into it and picking up her reading pace, she was interrupted.

"Nose stuck in a book as always I see."

Without lifting her head an inch, she lifted her eyes and squinted at the man approaching her.

"What do you want? I'm far too busy enjoying intellectual things to deal with the likes of you." she stated.

"Ouch. You girls sure are mean around here. How've things been going today?"

"Does this conversation you're starting have a purpose? Or should I simply ignore you?"

"Actually, it does. I thought I might give you a message and have you pass on to the other girls for me."

"I'm not a messanger."

"You're a secretary. That's exactly what you are."

"I've heard enough from y-"

"Stay home tomorrow. This won't be the ideal place for a lady."

"Excuse me?"

"Tell your friends to stay home tomorrow. If you come in for work, you're going to severely regret it."

Before Sun Sun could respond, the man had left her alone in the lobby again.

"What a creepy man. Still..."

* * *

Ichigo lay motionless on his bed in his confinement. He was truly relieved that Inoue was safe after all the time he had spent away from her. After he told her about Ishida's plan, she agreed it would surely put Aizen behind bars. It also ensured he wouldn't be able to come after them once they finally escaped his grasp.

That was yesterday though. Today was a completely different ball game. After his usual walk about the facility, he noticed the people around Los Noches seemed antsy and more serious than he had seen them before. Even Grimmjow seemed less talkative and more concentrated than he usually was. Of course, ever since he had been released, he had been looking for leads to Aizen's missing files. He even made a brief visit last night and talked with him, but then he left. He hadn't even asked for sex. And Ichigo had been in the mood for it too.

Ignoring Grimmjow's recent behavior, he glanced over at the clock. It was seven forty-eight in the evening. The day had been flowing by unnaturally fast as if in anticipation for something. Something big.

Just then, the door opened and Grimmjow quietly entered the room.

"Grimmjow. Hey." Ichigo spoke.

"Hey." was the only response he got back.

"Are you okay? Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked, noticing the downcast look and tired demeanor the other was displaying, "If you did, you sure didn't do it here."

"I'll be able to sleep as much as I want when I get Aizen those damned files back."

Ichigo sighed, "Come over here. You can rest here with me. You'll find them. And even if you can't, the week is going by really fast. School will start soon and then the authorities will be involved once we're all reported missing."

"I don't have that kind of time. I was told there's gonna be some kind of showdown tomorrow and I don't want to risk the possibility of Aizen doing something worse to us than this."

"Showdown? What  _else_  could he be planning?"

"I'm not sure." The bluenette replied.

"Maybe Stark or Halibel know something…" he said to himself.

The whole time they spoke, Grimmjow hadn't moved from his post near the room's entrance. He was intent on heading out and getting whatever information he could from anyone he could. He looked to the boy sprawled out on the bed and smiled. If nothing else, he was at least happy to see a pleasantly familiar face in this hell hole. Although, here was a place he never wanted to see Ichigo wind up.

After a few moments of silent eye contact, Ichigo's eyes moved from the blue orbs to the unsightly gash that was still healing just beneath the left eye. That was Aizen's mark. The thought of him laying his hands on Grimmjow truly boiled his blood. But this was no normal mark. He had to have struck him with a weapon, most likely a gun. He had seen many bruised patients at the clinic so he knew how to differentiate the differences between the marks certain weapons left.

Unable to keep looking at it, he turned his attention to Grimmjow's unkempt hair. There was Ishida's mark; their saving grace in this nightmare.

"Come lay down with me. You won't be of any use in any kind of situation if you're sleep deprived."

"I've gone longer than a day without sleep, Kurosaki. You just make sure-"

"Why does it take so much for you to listen to me Grimm? Sheesh. Just get over here and rest for a bit. You can leave after you do."

Grimmjow gave in to his demands. He was pretty tired. Ever since he got out last night he had been awake.

After flopping down on the bed, he turned his head to Ichigo. He didn't speak, he just observed as the other stared intently out the window.

"It's beautiful. The sunset. And it's been far too long since we saw it last." Ichigo commented, "I'm really glad this storm is finally moving on."

"You should be so happy. Now you can see your damned stars again." Grimmjow spoke.

"Don't bash the stars you moron. They're ordinary people's only way of glimpsing at the universe without any upscale technology. They're also one of the most magical things about this world."

"You say magical but it's only because they're something you don't understand. But you can't help it. We humans all label things we don't understand as supernatural and magical and leave it at that."

"So what? Is that really so bad?"

"No, I didn't say that."

"You implied it when you said 'But you can't help it. We humans all label things we don't understand as supernatural and magical and leave it at that' as though we're stupid for doing that." Ichigo spoke, giving an idiotic impression of Grimmjow in the process.

"You can be such a pain sometimes… And I do NOT sound like that."

"Me a pain? Maybe you should go look in a mirror and say that exact same line."

"Yeah, and I'll make sure you're in view so I can say it to you again."

"You're such a-"

"Such a what, Kurosaki? Huh?" Grimmjow asked, getting up on his arms and getting in his face.

After moments of staring into each others eyes, both boys began laughing hysterically.

Grimmjow watched as Ichigo laughed. It was something he wasn't exactly used to. Since they had first got together, he couldn't really remember many times he made him laugh. Or when they both laughed this carelessly. Well, not like this. It was a nice change. Who would have thought that being held by Aizen would bring out this side of their relationship.

Ichigo's laughter was calmed when soft but dry lips pressed against his cheek.

He opened his eyes and was met with a mess of blue hair. Grimmjow had buried his face in his chest.

"Were we really arguing about stars?" he asked.

" _You_  were arguing." The bluenette responded.

Ichigo tangled his fingers into Grimmjow's blue locks. He was careful to avoid running them through too far though.

"Don't do that, Kurosaki. You know I hate it."

"Why? Is it because you purr like a cat?"

"I DON'T PURR!"

"Sure…" Ichigo smiled, massaging the man's scalp.

It then dawned on him that someday, everyone would know what they were saying and doing. But as long as they could be free, he didn't care. Nothing mattered but Grimmjow in this moment.

* * *

As evening became night, everyone at Rukia's mansion said their good nights and headed off to their respective rooms. Around eleven o'clock, Senna convinced Neliel and forced Rukia to follow her on a little trip.

"Senna, I'm not so sure this is a good idea…" Rukia said.

They were currently creeping through the halls of her mansion to spy on Renji and Shuhei.

"Come on Rukia! You know you want to know what's what. Now let's go." She silently yelled.

"He'll kill you if he finds out what you're doing." The slightly shorter girl responded.

"He kills me on a daily basis when he opens his mouth to speak to me."

"Good one." Neliel giggled.

The two tiptoed while Rukia merely walked over to the closed door.

They could hear from a closer range what was going on inside the room. The bed creaked then suddenly Shuhei shouted, "Damnit Renji! You shot me in the face! I'm not your enemy!"

Senna and Neliel became red in the face. Rukia brought her fingers and thumb to her forehead.

"Sorry. I'll be more careful next time. Let's go again." They heard Renji respond.

"L-let's go. I don't want to know what's going on in there." Neliel backed off.

"A-agreed. The last thing I need is images of Renji-" Senna began acting as if she were going to throw up.

"Let's go." Rukia said, turning and leaving. Those two obviously hadn't seen Renji bringing his Xbox with him. He was most likely playing an online Call of Duty match with Shuhei on his team. Serves them right.

Why Renji was so into that game was beyond her. She played it once and got bored after a few minutes.

* * *

Aside from Ichigo, there was another person who enjoyed aimlessly watching the moon and basking it its beauty. Luppi, with his legs hanging through the railings, sat on the edge of the roof of Los Noches letting the wind engulf his form. The night was cold, but his heart was much much colder. Grimmjow had angered him like no one had before. He had practically told him he would never choose him over that pest he was currently with. That drove him mad with jealousy. He was now intent on taking the most extreme of measures to deal with it.

He lifted the pistol he had in his lap and aimed it at the moon.

"Bang." he said, closing one eye as if he was really going to shoot the moon.

Tomorrow, he decided that he was going to take the boy's life. Then he would kidnap Grimmjow right under Aizen's nose and force him to be his lover. If Aizen decided to stand in his way, he would take his life too. Nothing and no one was going to stop them from being together.

"Careful with that thing, you could put an eye out."

The boy slowly turned his attention to the girl emerging from the doorway that led back inside.

"How and why do you always find me? What's worse, you find me when I'm in my most angsty moments."

"Maybe I just have a knack for seeking out malice." Loly replied shrugging her shoulders.

Luppi took note of her attire. She was wearing a purple coat with black fur around the hood and base. She was also wearing black skinny jeans and boots. She was obviously too fragile to this weather. All he was wearing was a thermal and a pair of tight fitting jeans.

"Go back inside before you catch a cold."

Ignoring his advice, she began conversing. "So what's that gun for? Gonna end it all and leave the cops to find your body fallen all the way to the ground? Maybe you can somehow frame that guy for doing you in."

"No. I'm just going to take his life tomorrow."

"Are you really that jealous of him and what he has with Grimmjow?"

"Are you that jealous of that busty redheaded girl who has done absolutely nothing to you?"

"Sh-shut up! You don't and probably never will understand females. Which is probably why you're into guys in the first place."

"The pigtails down the throat option is still available you know. I won't charge you for it either."

"You don't have what it takes to fight me."

"That's what you think." He noticed something and raised his question, "Where's your accomplice? You two are always together so this is a bit strange seeing you without her."

"She's gone home. I was just about to do the same, but figured I'd come looking for you to taunt you a bit."

"After I kill that kid, I promise I'm coming after you."

"You're a hundred years too early to kill me." Loly smirked.

Luppi turned his attention away from her and looked back at the moon that was currently hiding behind the clouds and every so often peeking out. It was indeed a beautiful night. It calmed him down and also distracted him from the girl whining behind him. All he was focused on now was the bullet he was soon to put in Kurosaki's head.

Neither knew a certain girl had overheard them from her window inside the Penthouse.

* * *

Stark walked quietly to the elevator to report to Aizen's office. He thought that it was weird that Aizen would be here in the office this late, but it wasn't his place to question the boss's actions.

As he walked inside and pressed the button, the doors closed and he began travelling upward. He leaned his back against the wall and sighed. Suddenly, the light flickered, went off, and then came back on.

"That's weird." He spoke quietly.

* * *

"Aizen-sama, Stark has just exited the elevator." Tousen said.

"Good. Please escort him in." the man spoke quietly.

"Yes sir."

Tousen walked out of the office to meet Stark halfway down the hall. After the other exited the elevator, he silently guided him into Aizen's office.

Stark scratched his head as he strutted into the dim room. The only real light was shining from Aizen's lamp. It barely showed his full figure as the rest of the room was lit by the moonlight from the window where the curtains were open.

"Your posture is lazy as usual." Gin scolded from behind Aizen's chair.

"Leave him, Gin." Aizen said.

"I was just joking around. No need to be so serious all the time." He responded.

Stark looked at Gin's slightly illuminated form and then turned his attention to Aizen. Something was definitely off here.

"You wanted to see me sir." He spoke.

"Indeed." Aizen answered.

"Is there something you need from me?" he asked.

"How long have you been working for me, Stark?"

"I don't know, about four years I guess."

"And in those four years, was I not good to you?"

"You were very good to me. You saved my sister from that Yakuza gang. I couldn't be more grateful which is why I began working for you."

"That was such a long time ago. I barely remember it... But one thing I do recall quite clearly is me setting that whole altercation up."

"Y-you what?" Stark asked, unable to believe his ears.

"Yes. I was the one who had her kidnapped. What would the Yakuza, one of the most notorious crime syndicates in all of Japan, want with a sniveling brat like her in the first place? Did you ever consider that maybe it was all a set up?"

Stark stood quiet but full of shock. He was still processing what he had heard before. It was as if he had gone deaf and no other sounds could reach him. The whole mess that he nearly died over was a set up. Why?

"Aizen-taichou, you never told me any of this." Gin spoke from behind him.

"Of course not. This was a secret I kept to myself. It was such an insignificant matter that I saw no need to inform anyone. And I told you not to call me that, Gin." The man flatly responded.

"Why would you do something like that to me?" Stark asked, emerging from his frozen state of mind.

"Simply put, your connection to Grimmjow."

"What?"

"I wanted Grimmjow for myself from the moment I saw him on the streets. He was truly a first prize warrior and the perfect candidate for a slave.I knew the best way to lure him in would be to take you in first. It was a simple strategy ploy really."

Stark became wide-eyed. Aizen really was a monster. He had all of those Yakuza killed even though he was the one who set up the whole incident. All of that just to get his hands on Grimmjow. His life, Lilynette's life, and the lost lives of the Yakuza were all pawns just so he could get Grimmjow.

He knew exactly what telling him all of this meant.

"I get it. So now that you're finished with me, you'll dispose of me. But why now? I served you wholeheartedly."

Aizen picked up a remote and turned on the large television that was mounted on his wall.

It was a security tape. When the man clicked fast forward, it showed him walking with Grimmjow into the elevator late at night.

" _How?"_  Stark thought,  _"I made sure to disable all the tapes from the rooms I was guiding Grimmjow through! I even went so far as to replace them with alternate footage!"_

Upon looking closer at the screen, he noticed leaves in the top left and right hand corners. Aizen had hidden a camera in one of the plants in the lobby.

"Wholeheartedly? Perhaps. But betrayal is another matter completely." Aizen spoke as he stopped the tape.

"How devious of you Aizen-taichou." Gin grinned.

Stark looked at Gin again and squinted. Then he looked back at Aizen. His eyes went wide again when he saw the pistol aimed at him.

Now his heart was racing a mile a minute. He could practically feel that it was about to jump out of his throat. But, it shouldn't have been this way. He was expecting this. So why was it so hard to accept and stay calm?

Death was staring him dead in the face now and he could tell he might not be able to avoid it, even with all his cunning.

"I did enjoy you being the head of security. You served me well. But did you honestly think I wouldn't notice someone tampering with my surveillance records? I'll admit you worked so well that I almost didn't notice, but thankfully Tousen is much more suspicious than I."

"Just how much have you missed anyway?" Gin asked.

"Well, I haven't been able to see what's really been happening in the lobby, a few of the hallways, one of the elevators, or the bunker from the past few days. But that doesn't really matter. I've caught the rat and will now dispose of it." He turned his attention back to the frozen man before him, "Just think, your friendship with Grimmjow is what got you into this, and now it's what will remove you from it."

Aizen lifted the pistol again. One shot rang out after another.

Stark heard four shots before he looked down and saw his chest and stomach had been struck by the bullets. Blood began seeping through the fabric of his clothing, causing him to inwardly fret. He could no longer form words to describe his ordeal. Even though he was expecting it, he still couldn't believe this was actually happening to him.

After moments of shock, he fell to the floor with a thud and blood leaked all over the carpet.

"What a mess." Tousen commented.

"Yes. Please call in Zommari and have him clean this up for me. I'll compensate him tomorrow." Aizen spoke, standing from his seat, "That's quite a lot of blood for a normal person… But I did shoot him four times."

"Calling Zommari won't be necessary. I'll take care of it." Gin said.

Aizen turned to him and then continued over to his coat rack. After tossing on his coat, he retrieved his suitcase and headed to the door, "Do as you wish. Tousen, let's go. I don't need to be here any longer."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

After hearing the door close, Gin walked over to Stark's body. He looked down at it, then back at the door Aizen had just exited through.

"He made sure to do this at night when no one else would be here to hear it. That's just like him." He grinned.

He looked back down to the motionless body on the floor and sighed heavily.

"I've got my work cut out for me with this one. I hate being so nice all the time." He said, bending down and lifting Stark's body from the floor.

* * *

Grimmjow shot up out of his sleep from his place next to Ichigo. He had felt a chill so strong it shook him awake.

"What the hell?" he asked, wiping his eyes and looking around the dark room.

His eyes adjusted quickly to it and it looked as though someone was standing right in front of him. He was sweating and nervous now. He needed light. From anywhere he could get it. He leaned over Ichigo and drew the curtains back to let the light flood the room.

"Empty. Just as I thought..." he said, relief overwhelming him.

"Grimm?" Ichigo asked after being woken up.

"Oh. Sorry I woke you. I think...something really fucked up happened…"

"I'm sure it was nothing. Go back to sleep. You need your rest."

Grimmjow shook his head then fell heavily back down on his pillow. Kurosaki was right, it probably was nothing.


	20. A Grand Unravelling

Urahara sat silently at the front door of his shop. The sun was rising on another day. However, this day was one he would be quite busy on. He looked out to the looming city in the direction of Los Noches. He had been awaiting this chance for years now. The chance to take down a man who he once saw as an equal but has now become nothing more than an upscale criminal.

As he sat, he couldn't help but wonder if Aizen had always been the way he was now. Cold and detatched. Calculating every single thing he did and doing things for no one other than himself. More importantly, was he always so broken and twisted inside? He knew of the man's string of murders but he could never pin them to him. Intellect and suspicion alone were not enough evidence to convict someone of their crimes. He needed hard facts. That is why he was hoping Lisa would come through for him with the files he had stolen. How convenient was it that he could accomplish this because of Aizen's own employees?

He was so caught up in thought that he didn't realize Tessai had approached him from behind.

"Where's your team?" he asked.

"They're all quite busy at the moment. None of them have had any rest for the past two days so I won't be bringing them with me today. After I apprehend Aizen, I'll get the files from Lisa and give them a well deserved vacation." Urahara responded.

"You're going to give the whole team a vacation all at once? Is that wise?"

"Do you think I should let them all work when they've got no energy? I'm not a slave driver you know."

Tessai did not respond to this. Anyone could tell that working employees past their limit would lead to unsatisfactory work.

"Well, I suppose I'd better be off before there's no one left for me to save. Time waits for no man. Take care of the shop and kiddies while I'm gone." Urahara stated before walking out into the streets.

"Shouldn't he have just taken a car? What's the point of walking if he's in a hurry?" Jinta asked from the main room of the shop.

Ururu looked up from her spot on the floor where she had been organizing products to put up on shelf, "If I know anything I know Urahara-san wouldn't be careless enough to get to Los Noches after everything is over and done. Don't worry about it." She smiled.

"Yeah yeah."

Jinta picked up his broom and started sweeping. He would never hear the end of it if his chores weren't done when Urahara returned.

* * *

The moment Ichigo's eyes opened, he had been fuming. Waking up to find that Grimmjow was gone was not what he was hoping for. Although it was completely expected, he was still angry that this again proved how little the other listened to him. He had told him to get some sleep, not sleep for a few hours and then sneak off early in the morning. He knew what he was doing. He was just like a child. He did what he was told and then snuck off once the  _adult_  wasn't looking. He considered himself the adult because, without any doubt, he was the mature one in their relationship.

He didn't even have to look at the clock to be able to tell how early it was. It was so early the room was still dark even though the sun was rising.

"What on earth was I thinking? Grimmjow listening to advice? I must have been dreaming or something." He said, shaking his head.

Without much more thought on the matter, Ichigo got out of bed and went to shower. Not wanting to waste too much time, he took a quick five minute shower and hurried out of the bathroom. He dressed quickly afterwards and made up his mind to scower Los Noches. Not for Grimmjow, though. He wanted information. Any he could get.

Considering all that he had heard in the past few days, he was determined to find out what Aizen was really up to. If Grimmjow, someone who practically never worried, was so worried about this day that he was losing sleep, then he too was worried.

He left his room, not caring at all if it was locked or not, and went on his way to Aizen's office. It was early, but the man could very well be there. If he was lucky, he might overhear something that would let him know what to expect.

He was completely unaware of the person who was now shadowing him.

* * *

"Wake up you idiot!" Senna yelled and sent her hand flying across Renji's face.

Said man's eyes opened quickly. He was met with Senna's angry face and Shuhei telling her that it wasn't okay to hit him like that.

"What the hell was that for?" Renji asked, rubbing the now reddening mark on his cheek.

"We need to go! Rukia and the others are already in the limo ready to go to Los Noches but you're still up here sleeping!"

Shuhei looked to him apologetically, "I tried to wake you up, but it was no use… I told you not to stay up too late playing that game."

Upon realizing what today was, Renji jumped up from under the sheets and tore past Senna and Shuhei into the bathroom.

"Oh my God! I could have lived a thousand more lifetimes without having seen you naked Renji!" the girl yelled.

"Don't take too long Renji. We're going out to the car." Shuhei called.

He blushed all the way to the limousine as Senna teased him for actually sleeping next to a naked Renji.

* * *

As silently as he could, Ichigo had crept through the halls of Los Noches until he had wound up next to the doors of Aizen's office. After putting his ear to the door, he could tell that there was no one inside. Aizen must not have been in just yet.

He saw this as the perfect chance to snoop around and find as much info as he could. After all, it would help if he could get some of his own dirt on Aizen instead of relying purely on Grimmjow's. He actually hadn't been inside the man's office since he had arrived.

Slowly, he opened the door, which had been conveniently unlocked. He walked in and left it slightly ajar in case he needed to make a quick escape. Or to be able to know if he needed to quickly hide somewhere. It was important to always know how you're going to get out of somewhere.

"This room is so dark. I can hardly see anything." He whispered to himself.

He walked slowly over and sat down in Aizen's chair at his desk to try opening the drawers. However, all of them were locked. That was not surprising. But if he could get inside the desk, then he might just be able to find what he was looking for: hard evidence.

Sitting back in the chair, he sighed heavily. What a bad idea this was. Aizen could come in at any moment and find him here. If that happened, he would be just another victim. The thought made him think back to when he asked Grimmjow how he would feel if Aizen killed him.

" _I'd wanna kill the bastard."_  He had said.

The thought of how much that blue haired maniac cared for him made him smile. But then he remembered where he was. In the heart of Los Noches looking for anything that could help him convict Aizen.

It was then that he noticed a remote control, among unnotable things, on the desk. He picked it up and observed it for a moment. Then, he clicked the power button.

When the giant television on the wall came on, he nearly jumped from his own skin. It was a relief that it didn't turn on to the static and that loud, undesirable noise. That would have blown his cover immediately. After all, someone had to be around, right?

Once he had watched it for a few moments, he realized that it was a surveillance record of  _this_  office. Aizen and a tall, dark man were in here and it looked as if they were discussing something. What was most important was the time and date up in the right hand corner. This footage was from last night almost right before he and Grimmjow had gone to sleep.

Suddenly, Stark came onto the screen escorted by the darker man from earlier. He and Aizen spoke for quite a while. Then Aizen showed something on this same television.

Ichigo's eyes went wide when he saw footage of Grimmjow and Stark entering an elevator. After realizing that this was Aizen confronting Stark's assistance in their late night meet and sleep, he just knew what was about to happen next.

"Strange, I don't remember anyone being in here before I was... How did that tape get in there?"

Ichigo spun around and saw a gun come out from the shadows before the person did.

"Wh-Who are you?" he asked.

"Me? I'm just someone who's interested in killing you." Luppi responded.

"Wha-"

"Yup. Don't take it personally though. You just have something of mine and I'd really like it back."

Even with a gun in sight, Ichigo felt a weight off his shoulders. At least it wasn't Aizen.

* * *

"Let me out! Please let me out!" Inoue cried into the microphone on the elevator.

Today was the day. That boy who sat atop the roof was planning to kill Ichigo and he wasn't even aware. Ever since the sun had risen she had banged on the elevator doors and held the speaker button so someone could hear her. There was no way she would be stuck up in this room while Ichigo was murdered.

"I need to get out of here! Please! Can anyone hear me?"

When she got no response, she continued to bang on the doors.

"Someone! Please! I have to help him!"

She continued to bang against the doors until her hand turned red.

"I can't take this…" she cried.

With all the power she could muster, she began baging again and again against the doors. Suddenly, they opened with a familiar ding.

"You want to get out? Why's that?" Loly asked as she stood leaned against the wall.

"You two?" Inoue asked, remembering the girls from when she had visited Heuco Mundo High.

"Oh? So you do remember me? I would think someone as  _important_  as you would forget about a lowlife like me. Isn't that right?" Loly shouted the last part while walking out of the elevator.

"Loly, don't do anything drastic. I told you we're not murderers okay?" Menoly spoke, walking out as well.

"Don't tell me what to do! I've waited way too long for this moment!"

Inoue backed away from them into the center of the room. Then she noticed that the elevator doors were still open. She could make a break for it and find Ichigo.

"Ah ah ah." Loly grinned.

She stepped back to the elevator, entered a code, and smiled as the doors closed and it went back down to the floor beneath them.

"…No…" Inoue said, now crestfallen that they had seen right through her intentions.

"You sneaky little bitch. I should rip your damned throat out." Loly said, walking closer to her, "You think we're stupid?"

As she approached, Inoue backed away.

"This is so nice. I've never really been in the Penthouse before…" Menoly thought out loud.

Loly turned her eyes to her gawking companion, "Yeah. What an honored guest you must be." She said looking back at Inoue.

She then turned her attention to the features of the room. The bed was a king sized bed with quite a few pillows. There was a large television mounted on the wall. The furniture was all designer and new. And she spotted a chandelier that was waiting to be assembled over in one of the corners.

Walking into the bathroom, she cringed when she saw the used towels neatly folded and placed on top of the hamper. That was enough to help her remember why she had come all this way. This bitch really irritated the hell out of her.

She was just glad there was no guard on duty this morning. Aizen had told a good bit of his employees to stay near the bottom floors today. Fate must have been smiling down upon her today.

"Loly, what are you doing in there?" Menoly asked.

The girl emerged from the bathroom with a sadistic grin plastered on her face.

"I guess you think you're really hot stuff huh, Princess?" she asked.

"I don't-"

"Aizen-sama really must like you to put you in his Penthouse. And because of that, you assume you're better than all of us. Am I right? Huh?"

"That isn't true."

"You must have also figured since that fag came to save you that everything would be okay huh?"

Inoue's eyes glinted with a tinge of anger.

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve, Princess?"

"Looks like she may just have some feelings the guy." Menoly commented.

"What would you do to me if I killed him? Oh well, I'm busy with you right now but I  _can_  just keep calling him a fag. You're a real idiot. You must know he's gay right? I mean, you two are buddies right? For someone to have feelings for a man who likes to take it up the-"

"Stop it right now." Inoue interrupted.

"Aw, I guess it's true then. You do like him. It's too bad Luppi's taking care of him right now. You'll probably never see him again." Loly taunted.

Gray eyes went wide.

"We split up with him a little earlier while that orange-haired guy was still asleep. And get this. Grimmjow wasn't even in the room! Luppi probably already killed him!" she shouted.

Inoue fell to her knees. So, after all of this, there truly was nothing she could do. Absolutely nothing.

Her eyes overflowed with tears and she looked away from the two menacing girls standing just feet away from her.

"And you're next." Loly said.

What the girl did next shocked both Loly and Menoly. In the heat of the moment, when her own life was on the line, Inoue brought her hands together and began a silent prayer. It wasn't for her own sake, though. She was praying for Ichigo. Praying that he was still alive and that he had gotten away from Luppi.

"That won't help you know." Menoly stated.

Loly, now royally ticked off, walked over to the crying girl and grabbed her by the hair.

"You're the least of Aizen's worries at the moment. Everyone knows he's planning something big today so his attention won't fall on you until you're nothing but a rotting corpse." She said, pulling the girl's hair as she spoke to her.

"Let go of me!" Inoue shouted, pushing Loly off of her.

Loly stumbled backwards and grinded her teeth together when she saw her begin praying again.

"You little bitch!" she shouted, running over and slapping her to the floor.

"Loly, calm down…" Menoly said.

"Shut up!"

Inoue rose back to her knees and lifted her hands again. But before she could bring them together, Loly kicked her back down on the floor.

"Stop that! It won't save you you dumb bitch!" she yelled.

"…I'm…I'm not praying for my life…I'm praying for Kurosaki-kun…and for you."

Loly's eye twitched, "You condescending little bitch! Come here!"

She wrapped her hand around Inoue's throat and lifted her off the ground. The look in the gasping girl's eyes was one of utter defiance and willpower. Uable to take such strength and conviction any longer, she released her and caught her by her hair with her free hand.

"Stop looking at me like you're so much better than I am!" she shouted as she threw her against the wall.

As soon as Inoue hit the ground Loly was over to her, kicking her in the sides.

"How about I cut off your tits? Then we'll see how much you bleed to death! I wanna see fear set in your eyes!"

"Loly! We're not supposed to kill her no matter what! Aizen would have our-"

"SHUT UP MENOLY! Stop being such a whimp all the time!"

Menoly and Inoue's eyes went wide when Loly pulled out a knife from under her skirt.

"Loly, no!"

"This is it for you, Princess. Looks like praying didn't solve anything now did it? I hope you rot in Hell for all eternity!" she screamed to the top of her lungs.

As quickly as she could, she brought the knife up into the air. Just as she was about to swing it down and impale the girl, there was a bang on the elevator door.

All three sets of eyes turned to where the noise had come from. Upon closer inspection, they could see that there was a dent in the left door.

"What the-"

*DING*

The doors opened, the left one with some difficulty, and Inoue gasped.

"Gr-Grimmjow!" Menoly and Loly shouted at the same time.

Grimmjow slowly entered the room with his hands in his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" Loly asked.

"Sorry, but Kurosaki would kill me if I let you kill that girl. And besides, I like her a hell of a lot more than I do you." He spoke.

* * *

"Ugh, slow down will you! I'm too out of shape for all this exercise!" Senna called to the others running ahead of her.

They had all decided it would be best to have the limo park a few blocks away to be less conspicuous.

"That's what you get for being such a pig!" Renji called from up ahead.

"What was that? A pig! Just WAIT til I get my hands on you!" she yelled back.

"Keep your voices down! We'll be there soon!" Ishida shouted quietly.

The group stopped beside a building once they were on the street and had a clear view of Los Noches.

Senna caught up and punched Renji in the back as hard as she could.

This caused him to shout out and begin arguing with her. Rukia and Shuhei then tried to stop their arguing as Chad stood by quietly.

Ishida, trying to assess the situation, walked away from the obnoxious bickering group. As soon as he got closer he could see that the building was surrounded by police officers. He then saw Urahara.

"Why would they surround the building?"

Neliel walked up beside him and spoke, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it doesn't make sense for them to have the building surrounded if Aizen is the target. The only reason they would do this would be…"

"What?"

"Aizen must already be inside." He commented.

* * *

"I was in your room earlier, observing you. I thought you might end up in here. So I came here and waited for you."

Ichigo was frozen in place as the other approached him. Right now he was still in shock form what he could only assume happened to Stark, and now he was being confronted by this guy.

"Do you want to know something interesting?" Luppi asked, now leaning against Aizen's desk.

"Enlighten me." The boy responded.

"I met Grimmjow years ago. I was in his life much before you came along. I worked here with him much before you ever came along. My lips touched his dick much before you came along. We spent time together much before you came along. Yet, he says he'll always choose you over me. It's something I've never been able to understand. Why does he want someone like you when he could have me? What do you have that I don't?"

"…You say you did all of that with Grimmjow, but even I can tell you must have drugged him in order to take advantage of him." Ichigo said, sure he was on the right track.

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Simply put, you're not his type."

"A-and you fucking are?" Luppi shouted.

"I'm not Grimmjow so I don't know if I am. But by just looking at you, I can tell you're the furthest thing from his type there is."

Luppi smiled.

"I'm going to keep myself calm. Because I know that in just a few short hours, you'll be dead and I'll have Grimmjow all to myself."

Ichigo squinted slightly. This guy was definitely deranged in more ways than one. The only reason he hadn't jumped him when he saw him was because of that gun that was now resting at his side.

"Even if I was dead, Grimmjow wouldn't pick you. I can guarantee that."

"He won't have to 'pick' me. I'm going to kidnap him and keep him as my own. A slave of sorts, if you want to think of it that way."

"That's insane and you know it. He'd never be happy being someone's possession."

"Oh, and before I kill you, I suppose I should let you in on this one little secret."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "What secret?"

"Menoly, Loly, and I were the ones who stole Aizen's files from Project Hogyoku and framed Grimmjow."

Brown eyes flashed in shock and disbelief.

"We had planned this out all along. Aizen, the poor fool that he is, fell for our plan with ease. We just sat back and he did all the work for us. I knew he'd bring you here, and we were hoping for that girl to show as well. And what do you know, we got it."

"So you're the reason Grimmjow has suffered all this time? I-I won't ever forgive you! Do you even know what you put him through? For what reason would you subject him to this?" Ichigo spoke, volume and anger both rising.

"I personally don't give a damn who you forgive. And our reason was simple. We wanted to kill you. Well, Loly is after your pretty little friend, but I was after you the whole time. Mainly so I could eliminate the competition."

"I-Inoue? Inoue is-"

"Bingo. Loly's probably already beating the stuffing out of her as we speak. You see, we don't care about anything or anyone. Even I can't say that I love Grimmjow. But he's mine. And I'll kill anyone who dares to take him away from me. That means you, and Aizen if he wants to get in my way too." Luppi smirked.

Ichigo sat anxiously in place. He needed to get to Inoue. He needed to get to her now. She was in danger. But who knew what this freak would do if he tried to get past him. The door was right there and he knew how to get to the Penthouse now so saving her would be a breeze.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you get away now. Not when the game's getting this fun." Luppi said as if reading his mind.

"You-you cowards!" he yelled.

He knew his yelling was useless. But he felt so helpless. Again. What else could he do? Grimmjow was not here to save the day. All he could think was where the hell was Grimmjow anyway? In this most dire of moments, he needed him now more than ever but this was apparently something he was meant to do solo. He only prayed that Inoue was still safe.

Even if it meant dying, he was intent on trying to get past him to that elevator out in the hallway.

"Say whatever you want to about us. But we don't live by your rules so it doesn't matter in the least. We live by our own and nobody's gonna stop us now."

"How interesting. It would seem as though everything has gone according to your plan. Is that right, dear Luppi?"

Ichigo and Luppi were both shocked by that monotonous voice. Brown eyes slowly peered around the weapon holding man in front of him to see the other.

Aizen casually entered the room, followed by Gin and Tousen.

"My own employee, Luppi, and Grimmjow's lover, Kurosaki here together. Goodness gracious. Just what, might I ask is going on in my office?" he spoke calmly.


	21. All Things Revealed

"Urahara-san!" Ishida called as he and the rest of the group quickly ran over to him just outside the foreboding Los Noches.

Urahara turned his head and grinned, "Ah, hello Uryu-kun. Is there something you need from lil ol' me?" he asked.

"This isn't the time to be joking around, Urahara-san." Ishida responded from a distance.

He and everyone else with him had been stopped from advancing any closer to the building by the officers stationed with shields.

"Argh! Have your goons let us through!" Renji yelled as he was pushed further away from the building.

One of them accidentally used too much force and caused Senna to fall backwards. Renji quickly ran over and punched the guard square in the face.

Rukia and Neliel helped Senna from the ground. As soon as the guard hit the ground, Senna's face held a look of sheer disbelief.

"I never in a thousand years would have imagined you would stand up for me." She admitted.

"Hey, you're a friend. Even  _if_ you're a bad one, I can't stand by and let you get hit without doing something about it." He replied with a smirk.

While he was distracted in conversation, another guard made to hit him with a billy club. He, however, was stopped by Chad. The large man lifted him from the ground by the club and tossed him to Urahara's feet.

"Hey, Urahara! Call off your men!" Rukia yelled, seeing that this was about to erupt into an all out brawl.

"Hey boys, I never said to stop them from getting this far. Just keep them from entering the building." Urahara ordered.

As soon as he did, they backed off and returned to guarding the front entrance.

After cleaning themselves off, the small group marched over to the goofy man who had  _somehow_  attained the title "Chief of Police."

"Urahara, we got an anonymous tip to be here today for our friends. What's that about?" Ishida asked.

"Did you now? Well, there's nothing wrong with waiting out here with me. You see, I can't allow civilians, especially students, onto a crime scene." The man responded.

"Ain't no way in hell you're gonna keep us out here when Ichigo and Inoue are in there!" Renji yelled.

"Ahem!" Neliel cleared her throat angrily.

"Oh, and Jaegerjaques." The redhead carelessly added.

"I'm sorry, but you'll just have to leave this up to me. I've got an agent inside who is ready to take action. All he needs is the appropriate provocation."

"Urahara-san, please-" Ishida started.

"I won't allow you all to get anymore involved in this than you already are. Now stand back and let me take care of this." He interrupted.

Shuhei grabbed Renji's arm and whispered in his ear, "Hey, how does Ishida know the Police Chief?" he asked.

"Good question. Ishida, how do you know this clown?" Renji asked.

"Clown?" Urahara asked with a large grin.

"He's a friend-" adjusting his glasses, Ishida corrected himself, "He's an  _acquaintance_  of my father. I've seen him around our hospital on multiple occasions so I know him well. More than I'd prefer to to be honest." he answered.

"Don't be so harsh Uryu-kun." Urahara said disheartened.

Senna stepped in front of everyone and folded her arms, "You expect us to do nothing? Ichigo is in there! Inoue is in there! You can't hold us out here when we're this close to getting them back!"

"AHEM!" Neliel cleared her throat much more aggressively this time.

"Urahara, you have to let us through!" Rukia said.

"We may have to use force to get through…" Chad's said.

"I knew the cops were strict, but sheesh. They need us in there..." Shuhei commented below his breath.

"Get out of our way!" Renji shouted.

"Forgive me for this, but I see you kids aren't leaving me any other options…" Urahara shook his head.

Suddenly, each of them felt a shock running through their bodies and each of them fell heavily to the ground.

The last one to lose consciousness, Renji cursed under his breath before everything went black.

Urahara shook his head and turned to one of his men, "Take all seven of them and drop them off at the hospital. Have them all put in one single room and make sure they can't get out until I arrive."

"Yes sir." The man answered.

"Now, back to business." He continued, making his way into the building.

* * *

"Grimmjow! What are you doing in here?" Loly hissed.

"I thought I already told you. I can't let you kill that girl. You see, Kurosaki is very attatched to the misfits he calls friends. Everyday of my life would be a living hell if he lost one that I could have saved." The bluenette responded.

"Loly! We can't fight Grimmjow! He's too strong for us!" Menoly shouted.

"Heh," Loly turned away from Inoue and smirked, "Who said anything about fighting?"

"Ah! Look out!" Inoue shouted.

Loly pulled a gun from a strap on her thigh and fired a bullet directly into Grimmjow's side.

Grimmjow looked down at his newfound wound with wide eyes. Seconds later, he fell onto one of his knees.

"The only reason I didn't go for the head was because Luppi would never stop bitchin' if I killed your sorry ass. Be a good little boy and go to sleep until we're done here." She said, turning back to Inoue.

"Better say your final prayers." She said, aiming the gun at the girl.

Inoue's eyes went wide, she was frozen in place. Nothing could withdraw her from the paralyzing fear of death.

"Not gonna do it?" Loly asked, "Fine. Go to hell, bitch."

"L-loly!" Menoly shouted.

*BANG*

* * *

"Busted." Gin playfully taunted from behind Aizen.

"A-Aizen…!" Ichigo said, anger enveloping his thoughts.

It was his doing that Inoue was brought here. It was also his doing that Grimmjow had suffered all these years with no end in sight. How many days did he get forced to do things he didn't want to because of him? How many nights did he lie awake in both physical and mental anguish? In his mind, ten lifetimes in prison wouldn't be enough for this heartless man.

"That's a dangerous look in your eyes, boy. But I'll get to you once I'm finished with him. Luppi," said boy jumped, "What was that plan you said I had fallen for?" Aizen asked.

"G-go to hell, Aizen!" Luppi shouted, raising his gun at the man.

*BANG*

"Ah, sun of a bitch!" the boy moaned as the gun was shot from his hand.

"This is a grown-ups game you're playing here. And I'll have to ask that you don't point a gun at Aizen-sama ever again." Tousen said before lowering his gun.

"Please do continue explaining how you got me to fall for your foolish plan." The brunette man said.

He walked over to the light swithch and turned it on. The blood stain on the carpet immediately drew everyone's attention.

"N-no…" Ichigo said, realizing what it meant.

Aizen turned to Gin, "Gin, I could have sworn you said you would clean this mess up. Quite possibly, to your surprise, this included getting the blood out of the carpet or getting a new one."

"Sorry, Aizen-taichou. It just slipped my mind." The silver haired man responded.

"And what did you do with the body?"

"I took care of that. No need to worry about it."

"I'll take your word for it. You know I don't like it when things don't fall into place. I'd like you to order a new carpet of this room's exact size before you leave today."

"I'll make sure to do that before lunch."

Ichigo sat in Aizen's chair growing angrier and angrier by the second. They were discussing Stark's death as though it was like the dog peed on the carpet or something! The emotions he was feeling now were too powerful for him to repress.

"Don't talk like this shit happens on a regular basis! Stark is dead! And it's all your fucking fault!" he yelled, pointing his index finger in Aizen's direction.

"But of course. That's what happens when you doublecross a god. Besides, it's  _your_  fault for condoning his betrayal." Aizen smiled.

Ichigo bawled his fists tight, "No! It's your twisted fault! If you would let Grimmjow go he would have been fine! And don't compare yourself to a god! You're not-!"

"You're not a god! You're nothing but a lonely, insane, condescending ass!" Luppi interrupted.

Tousen raised his gun and fired. To Luppi's complete surprise, Ichigo had tackled him to the floor, thus saving his life.

"Get off me! He'll fire the damned thing again!" the boy shouted.

After saving the ungrateful fool, Ichigo immediately felt a sharp pain coming from his side that coarsed through his body. Looking down, he could see that he had been shot in the side. However, he wasn't seeing any blood at all. Without a second thought, he lifted his shirt and, to his relief, found that he had actually only been grazed by the bullet.

"Get off you moron!" Luppi shouted again, pushing Ichigo mercilously to the floor.

"Some thanks I get for risking my life for you you ass!" Ichigo shouted.

"Children, children. There's no need to quarrel. You'll both be dead soon regardless of how much you save each other." Aizen said.

"Which one should I kill first?" Tousen asked.

Aizen stood in place and pondered for a moment. Killing them instantly would prove to be quite underwhelming indeed. Then he was struck by inspiration.

"Oh, I know what we'll do. We'll force Grimmjow to kill them while they have intercourse with each other."

"You-you sick fuck." Ichigo said.

"Hmm. But before that, I'd like to discipline the Kurosaki boy a little." He said, pulling a gun from his coat.

* * *

Menoly stared wide eyed at the newly formed hole in the wall and the two figures frozen right in front of her.

"Grimmjow! You bastard!" Loly yelled.

Before she had even pulled the trigger, Grimmjow had risen to his feet, sprinted over to her, and yanked her hair. This, consequently, caused her to miss her target.

Now, Grimmjow was standing directly behind her with one hand holding his bullet wound, and the other holding one of the girl's ponytails.

"Let go of me!" she yelled.

"I don't ever remember a time when you proved to me that you were superior in any way. That's why I'm not gonna let your ass go." The bluenette smirked.

"Yeah! The only ones who can order you around are the ones who stick their dicks in your ass and you take it like a little bitch!" Loly spitefully replied.

Blue orbs quickly flashed with emotion. Loly was crossing the line and she knew it.

"I heard all about your time spent in Aizen's office! I even know about some of the things you did with his associates! No wonder you turned me down! Shows exactly what kind of man you-"

Grimmjow interrupted her by swiftly sending his fist into her back.

"Loly!" Menoly cried as said girl fell to her knees gasping desperately for air.

When Grimmjow pulled her ponytail to hit her again, Menoly charged at him.

Effortlessly, he lifted his leg and let it collide with her stomach. As soon as the air fled from her lungs, Menoly fell to the floor and lost consciousness.

"Menoly!" Loly shouted.

She hurriedly aimed her gun over her shoulder but before she could fire, Grimmjow had let the same foot he had kicked Menoly with meet the side of her head.

The small girl was sent flying across the room. When she stopped, she sat up with all the energy she could gather. When Grimmjow started laughing and talking to her, she realized that she couldn't really hear out of her left ear. She brought her hands up to it and squinted at the pain.

With her right, however, she could hear exactly what the man was saying, "Hahahahaha! You can dish the shit out but not take it! How shitty is that?"

She furiously looked at him, then to Inoue. Before she fell out, she heard one last taunt, "…Get over your fucking self…"

Inoue gasped when Loly's consciousness slipped away. She then looked up to the snickering Grimmjow who was still unknowingly holding his bullet wound. She then realized that Loly had brought her downfall upon herself. She must have known how out of hand Grimmjow could be so when she first fired at him she was probably expecting the worst possible outcome when she did. At least no one had died though.

"I…I don't know how to thank-"

"You can save it for now. I wasn't really doing this for you specifically. I did it because I can't stand these asses and for Kurosaki's sake."

At the mention of Ichigo's name, Inoue remembered why she had tried so hard to escape before all of this happened.

"Jaegerjaques-kun!" she called, getting off the floor while holding her aching sides, "Kurosaki-kun is in danger! Someone is trying to kill him!"

As soon as he heard that, Grimmjow's eyebrows shot downward in a "V" formation.

"What was that?" he responded.

"It's true! They said someone named Luppi is after him right now and he might already be…!"

Grimmjow felt his anger reaching its peak with Luppi. If he laid even a finger on Kurosaki…!

"Dammnit all to hell!" he shouted.

When he turned to leave, he became aware of two things: his wound was throbbing with pain now and he needed to take Inoue with him.

He spun around and told the girl to follow close behind him. Both of them hurried into the elevator and made their way down to the floor Ichigo's room was on.

* * *

"Aizen-sama. Will you really shoot him? I thought you wanted Jaegerjaques to do the deed." Tousen said when he saw the gun emerge in his boss's hand.

"I'll let Grimmjow finish him off. But ever since I met this urchin, I've wanted to put him in his place." The man said coldly.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, "Grimmjow wouldn't-"

"Shut your stupid little mouth! You don't know Grimmjow like I do! You don't know what he'd do!" Luppi interrupted.

"What the hell are you talking about? You're not and never will be Grimmjow's boyfriend! I've had enough of you and your crazy delusions!" the boy shouted right back at him.

Aizen, having no desire whatsoever to listen to the two quarrel any longer, raised his gun and directed it at Luppi.

"Aizen-taichou, let me handle that one." Gin said from behind the man.

Aizen squinted when he felt something hard pressing against his back. It was so solid he could even feel it through his coat.

"Gin! What are you doing?" Tousen shouted.

Acting before Tousen could intercept, Gin pulled the trigger and fired a single bullet into Aizen's back.

"Gin…!" Aizen said before dropping his gun.

The man fell to his knees and panted. He could hardly breathe and his vision was blurring. He couldn't tell if it was from anger or from the bullet wound. Gasping heavily, Aizen turned his head to look over his shoulders at the one who had just betrayed him.

Suddenly, a shot rang out and Gin himself staggered on his feet. Tousen had shot him and was now taking aim again.

"I won't allow you to kill Aizen-sama!" he declared.

"Goddamnit I should have taken you out first Touesn!" looking up to the ceiling, he shouted, "This was not what I signed up for!"

"What the hell…is going on…?" Ichigo asked as he watched the events unfold before his very eyes.

While everyone was distracted, Luppi scurried over to his gun and pointed it at Tousen. He fired two bullets which caused the man to scream out in pain. When Tousen hit the ground, Luppi pointed his gun at Gin.

"I guess I'll have to kill everyone in this room before I can get back to my  _original_  plan."

Aizen coughed as a blood trail exited from the corner of his mouth. But even in his weakened state, he quickly drew another gun from under his coat and aimed it at Luppi. This successfully distracted the boy long enough which gave Gin the opening he needed. He fired his gun and, again, shot Luppi's gun out of his hand. Then he used his remaining strength to pull out a taser and use it on Aizen.

When said man hit the floor, Ichigo slowly looked up at Gin questionably.

"Am I next?" he asked.

"Are you next? If I killed you, I would certainly fail my mission." the man responded.

* * *

"Can't this thing go any faster? Shit! I've got someone to save!" Grimmjow shouted angrily.

He and Inoue were near the fiftieth floor now but his patience had run out the moment the doors had closed.

"Kurosaki-kun…" Inoue quietly commented.

Grimmjow looked over at her and got a good look at the shape she was in. Her hair was unusually untidy, her arms were red along the sides, she had a few red marks on her face, and there were faint shoe prints on her shirt.

" _What the hell did they do to her?"_ he thought.

Inoue caught him gazing at her and blushed, "I-I'm fine! Don't worry about me! Tatsuki-chan and I have gotten into worse shape than this!" she assured him.

Just then, the bluenette felt a wave of pain surging from his wound. He doubled over and grasped it with his hand.

"Jaegerjaques-kun!" Inoue cried.

She bent down, ignoring her own pain, and put her hands on his arms. When she tried to move them, he pushed her away.

"Get away from me!" he shouted.

Without any effort, Inoue saw the trail of blood making its way down his fingers. He was in pain. He needed a doctor. It's too bad she had no medical experience or she could have been of more help to him.

She looked at the spot on the left door where the dent was. After inspecting it closer, it actually appeared as though Grimmjow had punched it. Gray eyes turned back to the hands covering the leaking bullethole.

Indeed, the man's knuckles were terribly bruised. Was he really that desperate to get into the room earlier? Ichigo had always told them about how impatient Grimmjow got sometimes.

"Jaegerjaques-kun, we need to get you to a-"

"Kurosaki is in danger! I'm not leaving this place without him!"

*DING*

Both Grimmjow and Inoue were relieved that they had reached the proper floor, but just as the doors opened, Yammy appeared.

"Well would you look at this. Two injured mice on the run in the cat's nest…I can't remember if Aizen said it wasn't okay to kill either of you…"

* * *

"Mission?" Ichigo asked.

"That's usually what federal agents receive. Especially the undercover kind. I certainly wouldn't get paid for all this trouble either." Gin responded.

"You're a-"

"Gin! I always suspected you were secretly working against me!" Aizen said vehemently.

"My gun…" Luppi whined.

"I was placed undercover in this case since I have the most self control. I also met Aizen a long time ago so it was no surprise he would let me work under him. But, so far I've only been able to secure one third of my charge…" the silver haired man admitted.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, Urahara told me to make sure you, Inoue, and Jaegerjaques make it out of here alive. I was also told to keep that deranged boy there and his two accomplices alive as well. But you and your party were at the highest priority level."

"But…why? I mean, I'm glad you're helping us, but why help some random people like this?"

"Because it was thanks to you and Jaegerjaques that I was able to obtain some of the files of my own from Aizen's private but not so private project. If it weren't for that one's jealousy," Gin said, pointing to Luppi, "I never would have gotten this far. Think of it as a don't bite the hand that feeds you kind of deal."

"I'm not really sure that saying fits-"

"Anyway, there's still more work to be done."

Remembering why he had been stuck in this office for in the first place, Ichigo stood and made for the door.

"Where are you heading?" Gin asked.

"Inoue's in danger. I can't sit around wasting time."

"Oh, you shouldn't fret over that. The girl should be fine. I got to Grimmjow earlier and told him to go keep an eye on the elevator. If someone unauthorized went up, he was instructed to alert me. He hasn't contacted me, so I assume she's okay for the time being."

Suddenly, Ichigo remembered something.

"If I remember this correctly, I heard Aizen say you took care of Stark's body. Did you at least give him a proper burial?"

"Hah, right. About that…"

* * *

"AAAAUGH!" Grimmjow shouted out in agony as Yammy pressed the weight of his body onto the foot he had pressed into the smaller man's side.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Inoue shouted.

Grimmjow and Inoue were utterly trapped inside the elevator by the Yammy's oversized body. When the doors opened, he cornered them and forced Grimmjow to the ground with his foot. That was currently the situation they were in.

"Jaegerjaques-kun!" Inoue shouted.

"Shut it before I rip you in half! Stupid twit!" Yammy shouted.

"Y-yammy! You fucking…prick!"

"I wonder if I should report you two to Aizen or just kill you and say you attacked me…"

Just then, a vase fell from the table in the hallway. It immediately drew all three sets of eyes to it.

"Huh? What the hell are you doing here?" Yammy asked.

"Seeing as I'm no longer an employee anymore, I guess I don't need to clean this up…" Stark said nonchalantly.

Yammy's eye was then drawn to the item the man was holding, "What have you got there in your hand?" he asked.

Stark's eyes momentarily flashed. He then remembered that he was carrying a gun. Looking down to it, he sighed, "I was really hoping I wouldn't need to use this…but if you don't stop what you're doing, I will."

* * *

"What happened? Gin was it…? What did you do with Stark's body?" Ichigo asked anxiously.

"I'm getting to it! Man, you kids these days are so impatient…" Gin responded, looking down at Aizen's backside ready to reveal how he had outsmarted him.

Ichigo threw him a funny look. Kids? He didn't even look  _that_  much older than him.

"You see, I already knew about Tousen's hidden camera. And I also knew that Stark was helping Grimmjow be able to see you while he was supposed to be incarcerated. That's when I realized he would be found out…"

Flashback

" _What did you just say?" Stark asked._

" _You're going to be killed tomorrow night." Gin repeated himself agitatedly._

" _W-what? Why? How do you know this?"_

" _I slave away under Aizen throughout most of the day. How else would I know this?" he asked before carrying on, "He's going to kill you because Tousen was able to get footage of you helping Grimmjow late one night. Or was that two…?"_

" _I-Impossible! I altered all the footage from the surveillance room!" the bruenette said, raising his voice._

" _Tousen is a very cautious and suspicios guy. The only reason he's not on to me is because I never give him a chance to get near me, trail me, or know anything about me. He knows because he planted an extra camera in one of the plants in the corner of the lobby. So every night you came out of the bunkers with Grimmjow, he caught on tape."_

" _Shit... I'm done for..." Stark lamented._

" _Not if you listen to me and do exactly as I say."_

_With the other's full attention, Gin explained how they would let Aizen believe he killed Stark. The whole time though, the murder will have been a fake._

_Gin was able to obtain a bulletproof vest from Urahara and blood packs from Ryuken's hospital. The last thing he needed was familiar knowledge of Aizen's habits. After spending a good bit of time working with him, Gin had learned one thing: Aizen only went for a head shot when he was in danger of losing money._

_Any other time, he went for the torso._

_Last night when Stark had been called in and shot, it was a setup. That's why he volunteered to take care of the cleaning job. Had he left it to Zommari, he would have instantly realized that Stark was merely playing opossum. That, in turn, ran the slightest possibility of his own cover being blown before he was ready._

_After Aizen left last night, he carried Stark into Ichigo's room, despite the man's protests, and hid him in the bathroom._

_Then earlier, after he got Grimmjow to leave the room, he came back and brought Stark to Urahara's. It was imperative that innocents and people aiding in this case were kept safe. That being said, where he was now and what he was doing was unknown to him._

End Flashback

"So, Stark is alive?" Ichigo asked.

"Very much so."

"Gin! I'll have your head for this!" Aizen said from his weakened state on the floor.

"All I needed to do today was make sure none of you kids died. After that, there'll just be a clean up here and we should finally be done with this mess. I really have to thank you, Kurosaki. I never would have come this far without you and your friends."

Ichigo sighed heavily. It felt as if ten billion pounds had now been lifted from his shoulders. Inoue and Grimmjow were okay, and Stark was alive. Now all he needed to do was find them and get out of this hell hole.

That would be easier said than done though. His attention was drawn to the kneeling man on the floor when he suddenly fell forward.

"You'll NEVER convict me!" Aizen said, losing his composure.

"Oh?" Gin asked.

"That's right! You'll never get close to cracking the encryptions on those files!"

"You may be right. That is indeed a problem…" Gin said, bringing his hand to his chin.

"Actually, even without the files, we have all the evidence we need to convict you." Urahara said as he entered the room seriously, "Isn't that right, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo was shocked. How did this guy know about his evidence?

"Since you won't be endangering his life by revealing you and Ishida's plan, why don't you drop the curtain on Aizen?" he asked.

When Ichigo hesitated, Urahara assured him everything was okay.

Without any logic as to why he trusted this man, Ichigo decided to shatter Aizen's whole world with this revelation. Taking a deep breath, he began speaking.


	22. To Be Loved

Ichigo stared intently at his sleeping boyfriend's form. Grimmjow had been taken under once he, Ichigo, and Inoue had been delivered to the hospital. Since he had been shot and the bullet was still lodged in his system, the doctors immediately decided to put him into surgery to have it removed. No matter how badly he wanted to observe, the surgeons insisted he wait in the waiting room after getting his own wound treated.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Ichigo slid his chair over to Grimmjow's bed and lifted the sheets. Proceeding in his endeavor, he lifted the hospital gown to see what they had done to the man's side.

To his surprise, all they had done to cover the wound was place a cloth like material over it. He had never performed surgery so he could only imagine what they did to remove the bullet.

Brown eyes trailed to the man's now exposed genitalia. He shook his head. Even now, while still asleep from the anesthesia, Grimmjow was thinking about sex.

"Some things never change…" he smiled.

"Still snooping around down there…? You're right. Some things never change." Grimmjow said.

Ichigo didn't jump this time after being found out. This far along in their relationship, he was no longer ashamed of his desires towards the other.

"You were awake this whole time?"

"No, I only woke up when I felt that breeze down there." The bluenette smirked.

"You have a one track mind. Even your subconscious thinks about sex." Ichigo sighed.

"Wanna do it in this hospital room?"

"Sorry, but I'll have to decline. There are far more important things to do and discuss right now."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Ichigo sat quiet for a moment then apologized in advance for what he was about to reveal to him.

"What is it?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.

"Okay. Just…don't get mad…"

Leaning lightly on the larger man's torso, Ichigo threaded his fingers to the man's unkempt hair. Suddenly, Grimmjow felt a tug and cursed agitatedly.

"What the-"

"This is why I told you not to get a haircut anytime soon." Ichigo said, holding up a micro device of some kind.

"What the hell is that?" blue eyes squinted.

"Well…a highly functional waterproof vocal documentation apparatus."

When the other sat with a dumbfounded look, Ichigo reworded his sentence, "It's a voice recorder."

"Y-you wired me?"

"Yes. And I'm sorry. But it was the only way Ishida and I could think to get our own evidence on Aizen. Please don't be mad."

Grimmjow stared blankly at the boy and the micro sized device between his fingers.

"Wait! So that's what you did to me when you combed my hair that day?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sorry to deceive you like that…"

"And just how much has this thing recorded?"

"Everything you went through from that point. And I mean everything." The orange haired boy reiterated.

"Even…even when we…?"

"Yea…even that… But it's okay. Now, at least we can live our lives without the constant fear right? Everything Aizen has said to you since that day you blew up on me has been recorded and is now evidence against him."

"You realize you've just made me a squealer, Kurosaki. And that's something I don't like being called." Grimmjow said in a low tone.

"But no one called you that. You gave that name…to…yourself…" Recognizing the look in those cerulean eyes, Ichigo slid his chair back slowly and made a break for the door when the man jumped at him.

Grimmjow landed feet up on the floor with a thud and his hospital gown draped down over his head. Again, he was exposed.

"That's what you get for acting irrationally. Have fun getting off the floor! I'm taking this to Urahara now!" he called, escaping the room.

The last thing he heard was a thunderous "Damnit" before the door closed. If he knew one thing about him, Ichigo knew that Grimmjow always had to overreact.

* * *

"What the hell is going on around here?" Renji shouted, banging on the hospital door.

"Give it a rest Abarai. We're being detained. We'll just have to wait patiently until Urahara lets us go." Ishida commented, looking at the clock.

It was not a little after six. They had all gone to Los Noches around ten this morning. Something had to have happened by now. Once they were set free, they would know if Urahara was successful or too late to save their friends.

Rukia sat on her bed with her phone in hand. She was now irritated because her signal was being jammed. She couldn't make or accept calls, send or receive text messages, or access the internet.

"He sure is thurough." She commented.

"I hope they're all okay…" Senna said, sitting with her knees to her bosom.

Just then, the door unlocked and a very large man entered the room.

"Good evening. My name is Hachigen and I'll be relaying the news regarding the status of all three of your friends."

"Three?" Renji asked.

"Stop being so mean to my brother!" Neliel pouted.

"Inoue, Orihime. She's sustained some trauma on her torso, but she's doing fine. She is currently in her room eating us out of our ice cream stock." He smiled.

"What a relief." Rukia smiled.

"Jaegerjaques, Grimmjow." Flipping through the pages on his clipboard, Hachi continued, "He suffered a bullet wound on his left lower torso region. He also suffered minor external damage to his abdomen. Upon arrival, he had to be tranquilized as he had yet to see Kurosaki, Ichigo."

"Why's that? Did something happen to Kurosaki?" Ishida asked.

"Tell us!" Renji ordered.

"Kurosaki, Ichigo was in a better condition both physically and mentally than his counterparts. He sustained a bullet grazing on his right side. Other than that, he seemed to be fine. I heard that in that whole mess, he was the only one of the three to have witnessed Aizen's arrest."

"Where is he now?" Senna asked.

"He was in his own room the last time I saw him. Oh, and on a final note, you all are free to go. There may be some follow up questions later, but I wouldn't count on it."

At that, everyone stood and exited the room after the large man. They had friends to go and see.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Aizen asked the boy standing over his bed.

"I was surprised the officers let me through, but I came to bid farewell to you." Ichigo said.

"Bid farewell?"

"Yeah. You put me, and more importantly, Grimmjow, through a lot. I won't say I forgive you because I just don't have the ability to do so after all I've learned, but…"

"But what?"

"I'm in such a good mood now. Your reign in his life is finally over. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about how happy he'll be now. He's free to soar anywhere his mind wants to take him."

Aizen smiled, "And just what if his direction and yours diverge from each other?"

"You can't dash my hopes. Even if we're torn apart, we'll always find our way back to each other. That's a guarantee."

Ichigo stood in the center of Aizen's room, now staring out the window at the setting sun.

"It would appear the storms you've faced have passed both literally and figuratively."

Ichigo turned his eyes to the man. Remembering the "storm" he had been in their lives for so long reignited all of the malevolent feelings he had felt over the past few months.

Aizen was currently in a vulnerable position. If he wanted to, he could permanently punish him for all that he's done to Grimmjow. It would be far too easy.

"If you killed me, all you'd live with would be regret." The brunette commented. The look his eyes held and the way the light barely reached his form gave him a chilling demeanor. "Even in this state, I'm not as helpless as I might seem."

"I can't take anymore of your logic." The boy said, walking to the room's exit, "Goodbye, good riddance, and I hope we never meet again."

At that, Ichigo quietly exited the room. As the door closed behind him, it felt like all that tainted their relationship was being stripped from him and locked away in that room. The feeling of freedom was an uplifting one to say the least. An Aizen free life sounded exhilarating beyond reason.

With those final words off his chest, he headed out to where he would be able to find Urahara and give him the recording he had.

* * *

"Inoue!" Rukia smiled as she entered the girl's room.

Senna quickly entered right after the shorter girl and hopped on the hospital bed.

"Kuchiki-san! Senna! Everyone! You came to see me!" she smiled warmly.

"What's up with the new abode?" Shuhei asked.

"Oh, I'm going to be stuck here for a few days… Urahara-san visited me and told me he needed to make sure I was doing okay and he wanted to keep an eye on me for safety reasons." The girl responded.

"Well, we know you're going to have fun with the hospital food." Renji commented.

Inoue looked to the girl standing in the doorway.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"That's Grimmjow's little sister." Senna answered.

"I'm Neliel. Nice to meet you. And I apologize for my brother getting everyone into this. Especially you." She said to Inoue.

"Oh no! Don't worry about it! I'm fine I promise! And it's all the better with my friends here." The redhead smiled.

"Well, not everyone…" Ishida commented.

"Have you seen Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"Mhm! He came by a little earlier. Right before you all. He had just left Jaegerjaques-san and said he had something to deliver to Urahara-san."

Ishida adjusted his glasses.

"Well! I say we should spend the night here with Inoue!" Senna declared.

"Oh that sounds like a good idea! I'll have Nii-sama deliver some things for us!" Rukia said, grabbing her phone and leaving the room.

"Maybe Inoue has a hot nurse checking on her…" Renji grinned.

"Why would that matter to  _you_ , mister?" Shuhei asked, grabbing his ear.

"Ouch! I'm  _kidding_!"

Neliel stood in place watching everyone. They all got along so well. Even with her best friends, she never had this much fun. In some way, maybe all that had happened was for the best.

Then she inwardly sighed. She knew of someone who was probably all alone in his room. Everyone seemed to be so interested in checking on Ichigo and Inoue, that they completely ignored Grimmjow. It made her somewhat sad.

"What's wrong, Nel-chan?" Inoue asked.

"Oh! I-it's nothing. I just need to get going. I want to visit Grimm before I go home."

"Oh that's right! Grimmjow's here too!" Senna commented.

She hopped off of Inoue's bed and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Renji asked.

"To see the guy! He must be all alone. Even if none of us are his best friends, I'd think he'd want to know that someone other than Ichigo cares that he's still alive." She responded.

"I'll go too." Chad said.

Ishida silently made his way over to the door as well.

When Inoue slipped out of her bed and into her flip flops, everyone turned to Renji.

"Let's go, Renji. I want to make sure he's okay." Shuhei said.

With all eyes on him, Renji flustered.

"Fine! Let's go see the jerk!" he shouted while avoiding eye contact.

* * *

"You visited Aizen?" Urahara asked.

"Yeah. I just wanted to have some closure. I despise him for all he's done to Grimmjow, but seeing him in that bed made me realize he's human, and vulnerable, too. Even if he thinks he's God." Ichigo replied.

"That's very noble and mature of you. If nothing else, I can assure you, with this recording and the files we're cracking, Aizen will be won't be back to interfere in your lives anymore."

"Well, guess I'd better-"

"Urahara-san! We did it!" Lisa shouted, running into the private office and stopping to catch her breath.

"Is that so? What did you find?" the man asked curiously.

"I found incriminating photos, detailed homicide locations, corpse disposal methods, and false testimonies. Aizen practically admitted to his crimes through this project of his." The girl said seriously.

"I know this may sound strange, but doesn't it seem like he wanted to get caught with something like this? I mean, if some of his lower positioned employees could steal from it, then maybe he wasn't necessarily trying to prevent information from being leaked in the first place." Ichigo said.

"That's an observation but it is something we may never know for sure. His motives in this project are still not entirely accounted for. To the common person, it would indeed be simple records. But, to someone like you, it could actually be a confession. Different minds work in different ways." Urahara commented.

"Whatever the case may be, this matter is now out of your hands. You and your friends are free to go after you complete your recovery time, Kurosaki, Ichigo. And please, take care of those friends of yours. Their dedication shined even to us who didn't even know them. It was truly an interesting case." Lisa said.

"How unexpected." Urahara smiled.

Upon hearing that, she continued, "Please leave now. We'll call you if we have follow up questions. If you get anymore involved, we may just have to put you in holding."

Ichigo sighed. It wasn't like he was asking to be involved in the first place. This woman was quite upfront and to the point wasn't she?

"Oh, and as a reward for your efforts in this case," Urahara started, "We'll make sure to clean the slate of those employees you testified for."

"Thank you for that." Ichigo smiled.

Taking Lisa's warning, he exited the office and headed back to the ones he always wants to protect.

* * *

"Get the hell out of my room!" Grimmjow shouted.

"No way! You're glad to see us and you know it! Admit it!" Senna said.

"Grimmy, stop being so mean!" Neliel demanded.

"Grimmy?" Renji repeated before busrting out into laughter.

"You're toast, Red!"

"Jaegerjaques-kun." Inoue called.

Grimmjow turned from the now snicker Renji to Inoue.

"What?" he asked.

"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me. You saved my life." She smiled.

"Whatever…"

"You just think you're so cool don't you!" Senna shook her head.

Before Grimmjow could retort, his room door opened to reveal a confused Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" Rukia, Renji and Senna yelled.

"Kurosaki-san…I see you have the ability to listen to a plan and see it through." Ishida commented.

"Gah, can it, Ishida. I'm too beat to argue."

As everyone surrounded the boy, Ichigo kept his eyes on Grimmjow.

The bluenette mouthed the words "Get them out of here," but he was ignored.

"By the way, what are all of you guys doing in here?"

"Senna totally forced us to come." Renji responded.

"Did not! Everyone but Renji wanted to come here." Senna corrected.

Finding everyone together in the same room was truly a reprieve. Ichigo looked to Inoue, then to Grimmjow. They had made it through the nightmare and were now able to go on living normal lives.

For the rest of the time spent in Grimmjow's room, Ichigo felt relieved. He stood in the doorway as everyone said good night and went back to Inoue's room. A frown found it's way to his face, however, when he saw Neliel heading in the opposite direction of the others.

"Nel!" he called, running after her.

"Hm? What's up?" she asked as if there was no issue.

"Where're you headed? Don't you know they're all just getting started?"

"Oh, well, I don't really know any of them that well… And they don't seem too fond of Grimmjow, so I figured this might be the best time for me to vanish. You know, get back home. It's completely cool though," she said when he threw her a disappointed look, "I have my own friends you know." She smiled.

"That's not it, Nel. And it's not cool. After all of this, you're more than welcome to hang out with us. We had to force Grimmjow to even consider the idea. So I think someone like you would fit in nicely." Ichigo smiled.

"Well…"

"Nel-chan!" Inoue called from the stairway.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Where are you going? We're all going to have fun! Come on up to my room!" the bubbly girl called.

"R-right."

Neliel smiled and told Inoue to go on up without her. She then walked over to Ichigo and grabbed him in a hug.

"Wh-"

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Ichigo. For accepting me and Grimmjow into your life. For showing him what it means to be truly loved. Please take care of him in all the ways I can't." she whispered.

When she released him, Ichigo was momentarily shocked. But upon realizing that there was someone else out there who cared deeply for Grimmjow, he smiled. He then watched as the shorter headed in the direction Inoue fled to.

"I will, Nel!" he called.

"Kurosaki! Get your ass in here!" he heard Grimmjow shout from the open door.

"Way to ruin the moment, Grimm." The boy shook his head.

When he made to take a step, he he heard his name called and stopped. Turning, he was faced with Stark and Halibel.

"Hey." Stark said.

"Good to see you made it out of there." Halibel spoke softly.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Just dropping in to check on you all. I guess we all did need a little help." Stark responded, referring to an earilier conversation.

"Like I said, I couldn't turn my back on such good people." Ichigo smiled sincerely.

"Still, thank you."

Ichigo shook his head, "No, thank you. I heard what you did for Grimm and Inoue. It was thanks to you they're safe."

"Who told you that?" he asked.

"Grimmjow. He didn't really give you the credit. He boasted about getting Yammy when his back was turned, but it was thanks to you he had that opportunity. So again, thanks."

"That guy'll never change I see." Stark said happily.

"Nope, but that's what I love most about him."

Though the man was indeed hard to control, it was true. Ichigo loved that about him. No matter what, Grimmjow never changed. He stayed true to who he was no matter what. It was nice to find someone never changing in this everchanging world. And with that in mind, Ichigo promised himself that he would hold on to him forever and ever.

* * *

"What are you doing, Urahara-san?" Lisa asked, looking over her shoulder at the man.

"Just filing some paperwork. I have to make sure those three we secured are placed under probation. And the two girls needed medical attention because of Kurosaki-san's boyfriend."

"Well, I'm going to call it quits for today. Cracking those files took much more time than I had expected and I'm worn out." She said, standing from her chair and stretching.

"When you run into the others, tell them good work and it's time for a vacation. I couldn't have done this without you all."

"Sure." The woman said before exiting the office.

Urahara turned his attention back to his paperwork. He was really bending some rules by cleaning Grimmjow's slate of those minor misdemeanors and major traffic violations he had accumulated. Not to mention getting him and a few of the others off the hook for being involved with Aizen in the first place.

"How'd I do?" Gin asked as he entered the office.

"You tell me." Urahara responded, playing a scene of him grinning at the camera with Stark complaining under his arm.

"Oh come on. I even managed to save a few lives. I think I did a good job."

"You could do a better one by filling out some paperwork with me."

"No thanks. I think I'm gonna go enjoy my vacation." The silver haired man smirked.

"That vacation was only for Team Visored. You're not a Special Ops agent."

"But I've worked this case for four years! I think I deserve a break."

Urahara shook his head. The only vacation in sight tonight was the sight of his bed. And that was only  _if_ they could finish filing this away. He always did wonder why he took this job. But Kurosaki's smiling face was a reward in itself. And Ishiin wouldn't kill him. What a reward that was. All in a days work. Well, in this case, years.

* * *

"C'mon! I've been itching to do this all day." Grimmjow pouted while pulling Ichigo's arm.

Ichigo pulled his arm free and stepped back from the man in the bed.

"Didn't the doctor say no strenuous activity. As someone familiar with the field, I can't do that with you."

"Don't give me that! We're doing it now-"

"Grimmjow, you're going to have to start listening to me more often. Come on. We have all the time in the world to have sex. But right now, everyone's together in Inoue's room having a blast. I want you to be a part of that too."

"Che. Fine. But if I do this, you have to reward me later tonight. Deal?"

"Okay. I'll agree against my better judgment. Now get up and let's go. It won't kill you to be social."

Grimmjow lethargically got out of bed all the while listening to Ichigo complain about his state and how he was expecting to have sex when he was on the verge of falling asleep.

As the other complained, all the bluenette could do was smile. The room turned silent even while lips continued to move. Ichigo had saved him. Ichigo had saved him. He couldn't get over it. All this time, it wasn't him who had been keeping the Ichigo safe, it was the other way around.

After thinking it over, how would his life have turned out if he had never knocked the window that night. If he had never let Kurosaki in the way he did. It was thanks to him and his friends that Aizen's hold was now gone. Who else in this lonely world would have stuck their necks out for him the way this orange headed outcast had? He and his merry band of misfits had shown him that the world wasn't as dark and terrible as he had once thought it to be.

"Kurosaki." He stopped and called as they exited the room and headed down the hallway.

"Yeah?" brown eyes turned to him.

God how he loved those firey eyes. He once told him how much he hated them, but he could see now that that was a lie. A passion and conviction so strong even the devil himself could not completely break lie in him.

The feeling he got each time those eyes landed on him, he could find no other word for. He loved it. This boy let him into his life and showed him what it meant to be truly loved. And for as long as he lived, he would do any and everything he could to keep him safe and happy.

"I love you, pussy." He said with a toothy grin.

"I love you too, dick." Ichigo replied, walking over to him and planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

End

**So, after thinking it over, I've decided to write a sequel to this story! I really enjoyed writing this one (although it kinda wrote itself) and am looking forward to getting to Close to You (non Aizen involved). I've been planning out the chapters for about two months and have a good 22 going so far. It's going to be a long one (a bit longer than this one or maybe a lot) but I'm working to make it even greater than RoL. My writing was bumpy in the beginning of this one, but I've come a long way and I now have a year of college English under my belt. I hope you'll stick with me for the next one! And keep your eyes open because I'm going to start writing it tonight! A first chapter should be up within the next month..maybe less.**

**Thanks again my dedicated readers! Always spread the love. I'd love a final review from you all even if you never gave one. Just to tell me what you think of this one and if you'd enjoy a sequel to it. Regardless, I hope you'll read Close to You! :)**


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